Economics Happenings

For the first time, Elon competed in the Fed

Challenge at the Federal Reserve Bank of

Richmond‘s Charlotte branch office. The

Fed Challenge is a simulation of an Open

Federal Market Committee meeting. Stu-

dents undertook research, analyzed date on

current economic conditions and decided on an appropriate monetary policy. They then deliver a 20 min-

ute presentation being scored on content, teamwork, responses and presentation. This year Elon finished

in second place competing against UNC- Chapel Hill, UNC- Wilmington, Clemson, Davidson, Appalachian

State, Gardner-Webb, Lenoir-Rhyne, and Winston-Salem State.

The team consisted of: Thomas Gutierrez ‘13, Brian McGerigle ‘12, George Piland ‘13, Charles Rice ‘13,

Justin Wanner ‘13 Thomas Whyel ‘13 and content advisors were Zach Power ‘12 and Jordan Duffy ‘13.

Professors Jennifer Platania and Vitaly Strohush coached the team.

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Undergrad

Work

2

LSB Connect

2

Undergrad

Publications

3

2011-2012 Grau-

dates

4

Awards 5

Microfinance/

Phi Beta Kappa

6

James Black 7

E L O N U N I V E R S I T Y

Economics Happenings http://www.elon.edu/economics S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

S P E C I A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E RE S T :

Check out this

year’s IPE: http://

org.elon.edu/ipe/

Check out our

webpage! http://

www.elon.edu/econ

ODE 8

Faculty Re-

search 2010-12

9

Seniors 12

Closing 13

Greetings from the Chair

Things are changing in the economics department. Is anyone surprised? When has the depart-

ment been still for any period of time? We have roughly 200 majors and minors, and we now

have a Fed Challenge Team, under the direction of Drs. Platania and Stro-

hush. In their first competition the team finished as Division Finalists! Con-

gratulations to Jordan, Thomas G., Brian, George, Zach, Charles, Justin, and

Thomas P. Issues in Political Economy turned 20 this year, congratulations to

Drs. DeLoach and Greenlaw. As far as student papers go, Kaylyn took the 1st

Place Allen Starling Johnson Jr Outstanding Symposium Presentation prize at

Duke and Grace‘s paper was selected as the best paper for the Midwest Eco-

nomics Association undergraduate paper competition. Faculty publications are

rampant this year – look to the department web site – we, students and faculty alike, are making

this a better and better place.

That‘s the highlights, read the rest of the newsletter for details and other accomplish-

ments. Things are going well, do keep in touch and please come visit whenever you are in the

area; we would love to see you in person!

(L-R) Dr. Platania, George Piland,

Charles Rice, Dr. Strohush, Brian

McGerigle, Justin Wanner, Thomas

Federal Reserve Challenge

E C O N O M I C S H A P P E N I N G S S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

P A G E 2

E C O N O M I C S H A P P E N I N G S

Undergraduate Success

Five students presented under-

graduate research at the East-

ern Economic Association an-

nual conference in Boston, MA

March 9-11, 2012. This confer-

ence allows members to pre-

sent their research and act as

discussants for other under-

graduate papers.

Senior Tyler Zoda appreciated

the opportunity, ―The Easterns

experience was a good one

because it was the first time I

ever presented my thesis, so it

gave me good presentation

experience and it allowed me

to meet a lot of other smart

econ majors from around the

country. I also got good feed-

back on my paper that allowed

it to get published in the Issues

in Political Economy Journal. ―

Grace Foster also presented her

paper at the Midwest Economics

Association annual conference in

Chicago, IL. She was one of

twelve undergraduate students

selected to present her paper and

was selected as the best under-

graduate paper of the session.

Grace also presented her paper

at the Duke Economics Depart-

ment Undergraduate Research

Symposium. Grace worked

under the guidance of assistant

professor Katy Rouse and pro-

fessor Steve DeLoach.

Junior Alex Spitz will be working as

a research assistant in Aachen, Ger-

many this summer at RWTH

Aachen University. The project he

will be working on is a

"Macroeconomic Analysis of the

Need for Urban Development

Funds."

(L-R) Tyler Zoda, Thomas

Whyel, Grace Foster, Alex

Spitz, Joe Patterson

The Love School of Business is hosting the second annual LSB Connect Conference on

Saturday, November 3, 2012. The conference, exclusively for sophomores, focuses on

professional development and will include plenary and breakout sessions, as well as an

etiquette luncheon and networking reception. For more information see the confer-

ence website:

www.elon.edu/lsbconnect

If you are interested in participating as a guest speaker in one of the breakout session,

contact Sarah Thomas:

[email protected]

For information on the Elon Job Network, an easy way to recruit outstanding Elon

students, contact career services:

[email protected]

LSB Connect & Recruiting

P A G E 3

Undergraduate Publications and

Presentations 2011-2012 Publications & Awards

Grace Foster, ―The Long Term and Short Term Effect of Single-Sex Education on Extracurricular Par-

ticipation‖ Best Paper Award, Midwest Economics association annual conference 2012 .

Kaylyn Swankoski ,―The Influence of School on Childhood Weight Gain‖ Best paper award, Duke Eco-

nomics Symposium 2011.

DeLoach, S. & Lamanna, E. ―Measuring the impact of microfinance on child health outcomes in Indo-

nesia‖, World Development, October 2011, 39:10, 1808-19.

Stephanie Franz, “The Effects of Gas Prices on Single Mothers‘ Time Use” Issues in Political Economy.

August 2011.

Conference Presentations

Micah Boomer ,―Homosexual Wage Discrimination‖ Eastern Economic Association annual conference

2011, Student Undergraduate Research Forum 2011.

Stephanie Franz ,―A Re-examination of the Environmental Kuznets Curve: A Cross-Country Analysis

of the Impact of Trade and Economic Growth on Water Pollution‖ Eastern Economic Association annual

conference 2011, Student Undergraduate Research Forum 2011.

Andrew Garrison ,―Risk Factors for Baccalaureate Attainment and Realized Wages‖ Eastern Economic

Association annual conference 2011, Student Undergraduate Research Forum 2011.

Ian Grady ,―The Inter-temporal Choice of Subprime Borrowing‖ Eastern Economic Association annual

conference 2011, Student Undergraduate Research Forum 2011.

Kevin Sheridan ,―State laws and foreclosure rates: A brief analysis‖ Eastern Economic Association annual conference 2011, Student Undergraduate Research Forum 2011 ?.

Kaylyn Swankoski ,―The Influence of School on Childhood Weight Gain‖ Eastern Economic Association

annual conference 2011, Student Undergraduate Research Forum 2011, Duke Economics Symposium 2011.

Joseph Patterson, ―How Much Congestion is too Much Congestion?‖ Eastern Economic Association

annual conference 2012.

Alexander David Spitz, ―To Reboot or Not to Reboot? Analyzing the Performance of Movie Fran-

chises‖ Eastern Economic Association annual conference 2012.

Grace Foster, ―The Long Term and Short Term Effect of Single-Sex Education on Extracurricular Par-

ticipation‖ Eastern Economic Association annual conference 2012, Midwest Economics association annual con-

ference 2012 .

Tyler Steven Zoda, ―Can T. Boone Pickens Buy Smarter Students?: The Effect of Athletic Spending on

Football Championship Subdivision Academic Institutions‖ Eastern Economic Association annual conference

2012.


2011 Economics Graduates

Caleb Luther from Highland Falls, NY, is a Global Finance

Specialist for SAP America in Newton Square, PA. He is on

the Financing Global Operations team of four members with

a quota of €400 million in SAP Revenue.

Randall Anderson from Lakeland, FL is getting his M.S. in

Public Policy. He is also a Legislative Analyst for a Tallahas-

see lobbying firm.

Kaylyn Swankoski is an Economic Analyst for Wells Fargo

in Charlotte, NC.

Mallory Gershenfeld from Yardley,

PA, will be working for JP Morgan in

Delaware.

Joe Patterson from Orange Park, FL,

will be doing for Teach for America

Dallas, TX.

Grace Foster from West Chester, PA

will be working for JP Morgan Chase in

Newark, DE as a part of the Corporate

Analyst Development Program.

Tyler Zoda from Raleigh will be

working for Vanguard in Financial Ser-

vices in Charlotte.

Simone LaHood will be doing Teach

for America in Charlotte, NC. She will

be teaching middle school math.

Zach Gillis from Chevy Chase, MD

will be working for Ernst & Young's

Complex Securities Group in Washing-

ton, D.C.

Ben Kanne will be working as an Asso-

ciate for Savills LLC, a real estate invest-

ment banking firm in Manhattan, NY.

Kyle Gay from Ridgefield, CT will be

an Analyst for Venture Capital firm

Sandbox Industries in Chicago, IL.

Mara Bollenbacher from Chicago, IL

will be a Junior Research Associate for

Cambridge Associates in Washington,

D.C.

Jacob Tyner will be attending law

school at the University of Denver.

2012 Economics Graduates 2012 Economics Graduates

Charles Smith from Burlington, VT is working for the

Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C. on the

staff of Senator Patrick Leahy

Adam Walton works for Bank of America and will begin

his M.B.A. at the University of Tampa.

Ted Slusher is stationed at Columbus AFB in Columbus,

MS under going Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training.

Currently I'm flying the T-6 Texan and will graduate in May

2013

Allison Stolte is a research assistant in the Labor, Human

Services and Population department at the Urban Institute

in Washington, DC.


P A G E 4

S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

Student & Faculty Awards

P A G E 5

Several Economics Majors were presented with awards from the Love School of Business at a ceremony on April 16, 2012. The recipients were: John Kappas Economics Award This award goes to the senior economics major who best demonstrates enthusiasm for economics, potential for leadership, and classroom excellence. It is named in honor of the late John Kappas, a 1985 Elon graduate. Recipient: Grace Foster Student Achievement in Economics Award This award is given to a senior economics major who has shown enthusiasm and success in his or her courses as well as promise for future achievement. Recipient: Simone LaHood The David O. Bowden Economics Scholarship Established by David Bowden ’70, the David O. Bowden Economics Scholarship is awarded to a rising senior majoring in economics who has been active in the department and demonstrated potential for future success. At Elon, Mr. Bowden was a double major in business administration and economics. He went on to earn his J.D. from the University of Miami. Recipient: Gregory Nantz The Department of Economics Endowed Scholarship This scholarship was established in 2005 by members of the Department of Economics for an economics major with a record of academic excellence within the major who exhibits a commitment to social responsibility Recipient: Stanton Sandford The James T. Toney Endowment Fund This award was established by members of the Department of Economics in honor of Professor Jim Toney. The scholarship is for economics majors and is to be used for off-campus travel. Recipient: Kenneth Dunkle The John & Margaret Sullivan GP ’05 Endowed Fund for Engaged Learning in Economics This fund was established by 2005 Elon graduate Kathleen Niple for economics majors who are participating in one of the five Elon Experiences program areas. Recipient: Kenneth Dunkle The William A. Klopman, Jr. Memorial Scholarship This award was established in 1992 in memory of William A. Klopman, Jr., a scholar of business and law. It is to provide scholar-ship assistance to a rising junior or senior in the Love School of Business who demonstrates high academic potential with prefer-ence given to students living in Alamance County, the Triad, or North Carolina. Recipient: Scott Bishopric Excellence in Scholarship The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship recognizes one or more faculty mem-bers each year whose scholarly work has a significant intellectual impact in keeping with the Elon scholar-mentor model. Congratu-lations to Dr. Rouse on winning this award. Recipient: Dr. Katy Rouse


P A G E 6

“To catch the

reader's attention,

place an

interesting

sentence or quote

from the story

here.”

New Phi Beta Kappa Inductees LaHood were the only two

economics majors to be

honored. Phi Beta Kappa

represents 10 percent of

institutions in the nation,

and only the top 10 percent

of arts and sciences gradu-

ates are selected for mem-

bership. Jonathan

53 new students from Elon

were inducted into Phi Beta

Kappa on April 16. Phi

Beta Kappa is considered

one of the nation‘s most

prestigious honor societies,

recognizing students in the

fields of arts and sciences.

Zach Power and Simone

Rosenberg, chief technolo-

gist for Skype, was the key-

note speaker.


Elon Microfinance Initiative and Muhammad Yunus

The Elon Microfinance Initiative works with both the local community and internationally to help

business owners through sustainable giving. Last year was the inaugural year consisting of four

members who ran a small business workshop with Alamance Community College. This year they

now have 20 members and are growing in other areas.

So far this year, they

have works with two

small business owners in

the Burlington area.

They have assisted the

organizations in market-

ing strategies and busi-

ness planning ideas to

launch their small busi-

nesses. In addition they

have organized publicity

events to advertise these

companies. This in-

cluded a book signing for

JAB‘s Love letters as well

as a self defense class. All proceeds to each event were donated to all small business owners

throughout the world. They have a Kiva account, a website that is used to make loans to small

businesses and receive payments backs. In essence, they choose who to make loans to and then

are repaid the money, in which case they loan more to others.

On April 4, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus visited Elon and received the Elon Uni-

S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

P A G E 7

"Not many

recently graduated

economics majors

decide to join the

army," wrote a

nominator, but

James isn't most

economics majors.

James Black

Elon Graduate Helping Afghanistan James Black, a 2009 graduate was selected for Elon’s 2012, Top 10

Under 10 awards, recognizing outstanding young alumni. Upon

graduating, Black volunteered to be deployed to Afghanistan and

in February of 2011 he flew to Helmand Province as a psychological

operations specialist in the U.S. Army. Sangin, a district of Helmand

Province, has been one of the best distressed districts within Af-

ghanistan. The people there

suffer from terror from the Tali-

ban, such as beatings and

murder. This includes limiting

education as the Taliban

places fear into teachers and

parents. In the summer of

2011, Black recognized this

and saw the opportunity to

help the educational oppor-

tunity in Sangin. Black contacted Elon University to promote educa-

tional resources. Elon responded quickly, within one month students,

faculty, alumni and other donors contributed close to 1000 pounds

of materials. The support and responsibility for providing an increase

in lifestyle falls on The Government of the Islamic Republic of Af-

ghanistan (GIRoA). The supplies were routed through the Afghan

officials to local schools – enough to sustain a year’s worth of edu-

cation. Black has helped inspire children to get an education; excit-

ing them with pencils, papers and markers. With the help of Black

and Elon University, Afghans are being provided the tools for a bet-

ter future.


P A G E 8

ODE Inductions

Thirty-four students were inducted into Elon‘s Pi chapter of Omicron Delta

Epsilon (ODE) the international honor society during the Spring Economics

Banquet on April 3.

Requirements for ODE include successful completion of 16 hours of econom-

ics courses with a minimum GPA of 3.25.

Kevin Barr, Mara Bollenbacher, Welsford Bishopric, Brandon Brown, Matthew Camp-

bell, Celia Eddy, Adam Crouch, Alexander Dempsey, Lauren DiFiglia, Kathryn Dugan,

Katherine Eason, Charles Fambrough, Matthew Florian, Mallory Gershenfeld, Oliver

Goddu, Ashleigh Green, Robert Hackett, Lauren Hansen, Chelsea Helms, Caitlin

Hickey, Benjamin Kanne, Ryan Kilbane, Simone LaHood, Sarah Naiman, Gregory

Nantz, Harrison Olverd, Joseph Patterson, Emily Plante, Nathan Randazzo, Jonathan

Riegel, Paul Robinson, Justin Wanner, James Yaworsky, Blaire Zachary


James L. Barbour

Barbour, J. L. (2011). Schneider‘s ‗Singede Steine‘. La lectura musical de la iconografía en el claustro de Sant Cugat del

Vallés. Circulo Romanico.

Barbour, J.L., & Batchelor, N. (2011, February). Personal Statements. Presented at the Eastern Economic Association,

New York, NY.

Steve Bednar

Bednar, S. (2012, January 20) Are Smarter Voters More Liberal? Evidence from Salt Iodization in the United

States. Presented at UNC Greensboro, Greensboro, NC.

Bednar, S. (2011, November 21) Tax Benefits for Graduate Education. Presented at the Southern Economics Associa-

tion, Washington D.C. Also presented at NC State University, Raleigh, NC on November 18, 2011.

Bednar, S. (2011, April 3) Campaigning and Election Outcomes: Evidence from the 2008 Democratic Primaries. Pre-

sented at the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL. Also presented at Wake Forest University, Winston-

Salem, NC on October 5, 2011 and at the Midwest Economics Association, St Louis, MO on March 18, 2011.

Jayoti (Tina) Das

Das, J. and DeLoach, S. (2011). Mirror, mirror on the wall: The effect of time spent grooming on wages. Journal of

Socio-economics, 40, (1), 26-34.

Burbridge, J.J. Jr., Das, J., & DiRienzo, C. (2011). The Role of Trust in the Global Acceptance of E-Government. In Infor-

mation Communication Technologies and the Virtual Public Sphere: Impacts of Network Structures on Civil Societies.

Editors: Robert Crof & Scott Krummenacher, IGI Global Publishing, Hershey, PA.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2010). Tourism Competitiveness and Corruption: A Cross Country Analysis. Tourism Eco-

nomics, 16, (3), 477-492.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2010). Quality of Political Management and the Role of Corruption: A Cross County Analy-

sis. International Journal of Public Administration, 33, (14), 832-842.

Faculty Research 2010-2012

P A G E 9


P A G E 1 0

Stephen B. DeLoach

DeLoach, S., Perry-Sizemore, E., & Borg, M. (2012). Creating Quality Undergraduate Research Programs in Econom-

ics: How, when, where (and why). The American Economist, 57(1), 96-110.

DeLoach, S. & Tiemann, T. (2012). Not driving alone? American Commuting in the Twenty-first Century, Transporta-

tion., 39(3), 521-537.

DeLoach, S. & Lamanna, E. (2011). Measuring the impact of microfinance on child health outcomes in Indonesia.

World Development, 39, (10), 1808-1819.

DeLoach, S. (2011). What Every Economist Should Know about the Evaluation of Teaching: A Review of the Litera-

ture. In McGoldrick, KimMarie and Gail Hoyt Eds. The International Handbook on Teaching and Learning Econom-

ics, Aldershot: Edward Elgar Press.

Das, J. and DeLoach, S. (2011). Mirror, mirror on the wall: The effect of time spent grooming on wages. Journal of

Socio-economics, 40, (1), 26-34.

DeLoach, S., Borg, M. & Perry-Sizemore, E. (2011, January 7-9). Creating Quality Undergraduate Research Programs

in Economics: How, when, where (and why). Presented at the Allied Social Science Association, Denver, CO and at

the Western Economics Association in Portland OR, July 2010.

DeLoach, S., Franz, S., & Platania, J. (2011, February). The fast and the curious: the effects of gasoline prices on the

time use of teenagers. Presented at the Eastern Economic Association, New York, NY.

Cassandra Dirienzo

Burbridge, J.J. Jr., Das, J., & DiRienzo, C. (2011). The Role of Trust in the Global Acceptance of E-Government. In

Information Communication Technologies and the Virtual Public Sphere: Impacts of Network Structures on Civil So-

cieties. Editors: Robert Crof & Scott Krummenacher, IGI Global Publishing, Hershey, PA.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2010). Tourism Competitiveness and Corruption: A Cross Country Analysis. Tourism Eco-

nomics, 16, (3), 477-492.

Das, J. & DiRienzo, C. (2010). Quality of Political Management and the Role of Corruption: A Cross County Analy-

sis. International Journal of Public Administration, 33, (14), 832-842.

Greg Lilly

Lilly, G. (2011, February 27). Adaptive Persistence as a Factor in Skill Production. Presented at the Eastern Econom-

ics Association Meeting, New York, NY.



P A G E 1 1

Jennifer Platania

Gammon, D., Platania, J., Manring, S., & Munoz, D. (2011). Economics: the overlooked discipline in Earth Stewardship.

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 9, 535.

Platania, J. (2011, February). The Welfare Implications of the Tax Benefit of Home Ownership. Presented at the Eastern

Economic Association, New York, NY.

DeLoach, S., Franz, S., & Platania, J. (2011, February). The fast and the curious: the effects of gasoline prices on the time

use of teenagers. Presented at the Eastern Economic Association, New York, NY.

Katy Rouse

Rouse, K.E. (2012). The Impact of High School Leadership on Subsequent Educational Attainment. Social Science Quar-

terly, 93(1), 110-129. .

Rouse, K.E. & McMullen, S. (2011, March 24). School Crowding, Year-Round Schooling, and Mobile Classroom Use:

Evidence from North Carolina. Presented at the Annual Conference of the Association for Education Finance and Pol-

icy, Seattle, WA.

Rouse, K.E., & McMullen, S.. (2011, February 25). Curing the Summertime Blues: The Impact of Year-Round Schooling

on Academic Achievement. Presented at the Eastern Economic Association Meeting, New York, NY, at the Allied So-

cial Science Associations, Denver, CO on January 8, 2011, and at the University of NC-Greensboro Economics Depart-

ment Seminar, Greensboro, NC on October 19, 2010.

Thomas Tiemann

DeLoach, S. & Tiemann, T. (2012). Not driving alone? American Commuting in the Twenty-first Century, Transporta-

tion, 39(3), 521-537.

Tiemann, T., Atkins, K., & Scott, A. (2011, November). Sidewalks, Streetscapes and Walkability. Presented at Spaces

and Flows Conference, Prato, Italy.

Douglas Redington

Redington, D. & Russell, R. A. (2012). Creating, Implementing, and Integrating a First-Year Statistics Requirement.

Teaching Statistics, 34, (2), 50-55.



S U M M E R 2 0 1 2


P A G E 1 2

S U M M E R 2 0 1 2

Congratulations Seniors

Randall Anderson

Vincent Ayube

Micah Boomer

Amelie Busch

Clinton Collins

Brian Crevi

Thomas Daddio

Kyle Fisher

Stephanie Franz

Andrew Garrison

Brett Gerding

Ian Grady

Travis Greene

Richard Johns

Adam Walton

Zachary Widdoss

Faud Zaru

Taylor Zorski

Caleb Luther

Mara Bollenbacher

Adam Crouch

Conor Danielson

Guy Ellenburg

Grace Foster

Kyle Gay

Mallory Gershenfeld

Zach Gillis

Ben Kanne

Samantha King

Congratulations to the economics major graduates.

Good luck in your future and stay in touch!

Craig Massey

Joseph Mastrosante

David Meyer

Ashley Milford

Davis Miller

Jessica Moran

William O‘Riordan

Matthew Reidy

Raleigh Richards

William Richards

Matthew Richardson

Sarah Schermerhorn

Emily Schulz

Kevin Sheridan

Jeffrey Siatti

Theodore Slusher

Charles Smith

Allison Stolte

Kaylyn Swankoski

Travis Upton

2011 Graduates

Jeff Kolodkin

Simone Lahood

Teagan Lewis

Tyler Lynn

Timothy McLane

Sarah Naiman

Joe Patterson

Zach Power

David Pullman

Alex Schreiner

Jacob Tyner

2012 Graduates

P A G E 1 3


What makes the Economics department at Elon so special?

When it comes to studying Economics, Elon faculty know that students must do

more than memorize theories and concepts. They must also be critical thinkers,

keen analysts and astute problem solvers because economists must have the

skills to understand a variety of changing conditions — from what drives institu-

tional change to how consumer behavior will change over time.

At Elon, Economics courses are designed to help students develop economic

reasoning — a particular way of looking at the world that is valuable in govern-

ment service, business, law, and many other fields.

With Elon‘s distinctive active learning approach, students develop the poise and

confidence essential to success in their studies and careers. This approach to

learning means students engage not only in their own research, but also work

one-on-one with Economics faculty in scholarly endeavors.

To stay current on the Economics department, visit

www.elon.edu/economics throughout the year.

Dr. Jim Barbour

Department Chair

2075 Campus Box

Elon, NC 27244

Phone: 336 278-5945

Fax: 336 278-5952

E-mail: [email protected]

Department of Economics

Closing

Documents

Economics Happenings