Category: Undergraduate

Two economics undergraduate students were selected as 2025 Maguire Public Service Fellows

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Two economics undergraduate students were selected as 2025 Maguire Public Service Fellows: Zahra Chowdhury (Political Science and Economics) and Vidhi Jadeja (Markets and Culture, Economics, Studio Art). 

This summer, Zahra will lead the transformation of Just City’s Court Watch program in Memphis, turning it into a sustainable, committee-driven initiative that strengthens civic engagement and accountability in the courts. In addition to expanding volunteer outreach, she is building partnerships with local faith communities and student groups to broaden the program’s impact. Zahra’s fellowship reflects the ways the political science and economics departments are preparing students to lead with purpose and contribute to the public good. 

Vidhi will serve in South Dallas with The Stewpot, a nonprofit supporting individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty. In addition to volunteering with Stewpot programs and outreach, Vidhi will take a leadership role within the organization’s Art, Music + Creative Programs to foster self-expression and build community through the arts.

The Maguire Ethics Center’s Public Service Fellowship—made possible in part by the Irby Family Foundation—empowers SMU students to spend over 200 hours during the summer contributing to public service or ethics research with organizations of their choice. The fellowship provides $2,000 for undergraduates and $2,400 for graduate students to support projects that align with students’ academic and professional goals while promoting ethical leadership and social impact. 

Congratulations, Zahra and Vidhi! 

2024 Wallace F. Lovejoy Memorial Award Recipient Jose Miguel Diaz-Ceballos

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The Wallace F. Lovejoy Memorial Award is given twice a year to a senior Economics major on the basis of academic excellence, creativity, motivation, responsibility, and an attitude of helpfulness toward other students. The Wallace F. Lovejoy Memorial Award in Fall 2024 went to Jose Miguel Diaz-Ceballos!

 

2025 Josef Hadar Award recipient Michael Khoury

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The Josef Hadar Award is given annually to a senior Economics major on the basis of academic excellence and creativity, especially as it relates to mathematics and research-oriented courses in Economics.  Professor Emeritus Hadar was the Department’s Director of Graduate Studies for many years.  He was well known for his mentoring of graduate students and directed many outstanding Ph.D. dissertations.  Professor Hadar also was an eminent researcher in the field of Economics of Uncertainty and the Theory of Stochastic Dominance.  This year’s Josef Hadar Award winner is Michael Khoury.  Congratulations Michael!

2025 Wallace F. Lovejoy Memorial Award recipient Andrew Farhat

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The Wallace F. Lovejoy Memorial Award is given annually to a senior Economics major of the basis of academic excellence, creativity, motivation, responsibility, and an attitude of helpfulness toward other students.  This year’s Wallace F. Lovejoy Memorial Award goes to Andrew Farhat.  Congratulations Andrew!

Economics Awards and ODE Honorees

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On April 22, 2025, the Economics Department recognized our amazing undergraduate and graduate students for being in inducted in to the SMU Chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon (ODE). Over twenty-four students were recognized for their outstanding achievements in Economics as well as excellence in overall scholastic attainment.

Additionally we acknowledged and awarded four amazing students for being the ultimate overachievers among their peers in the department. We are honored to have such amazing students willing to go over and beyond for others.

  • Javier Gonzalez Rodriguez (The Melody Rice Award)
  • Andrew Farhat (The Wallace F. Lovejoy Memorial Award)
  • Michael Khoury (The Josef Hadar Award)
  • Nikolas Powers (The Award for Excellence)

Senior Lecturer Mea Ahlberg has been nominated for the 2025 HOPE Award

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We are excited to share that Senior Lecturer Mea Ahlberg has been nominated for the 2025 HOPE Award. HOPE stands for Honoring Our Professor’s Excellence and is the highest recognition a student can bestow on a faculty member. The winners of the 2025 HOPE Award will be announced at the annual HOPE Banquet.

Opportunity for students to publish in the Student Monthly Labor Review

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There is a new publishing opportunity for students with an established and respected journal, the Monthly Labor Review (MLR), which is published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The MLR publishes a wealth of research in a wide variety of fields. Subjects include the labor force, employment, inflation, productivity, occupational injuries and illnesses, wages, prices, and more. The new Student MLR department is intended to complement our current MLR offerings in which students have an opportunity to publish their work in a peer-reviewed journal.

To help introduce faculty and students to this new opportunity, there will be information sessions on September 10, 2024, at 3:00 pm eastern time and on September 11, 2024, at 6:00 pm eastern time. Registration for the events is required and is available online at the following links: session 1 and session 2.

If you are unable to attend, let us know. Respond to this email with your name and university to receive submission information. See the MLR for authors page for more information about submitting articles or email Justin Holt, Economist with the Bureau of Labor Statistics at holt.justin@bls.gov. Click these links for a factsheet and video about the Student MLR.

 

 

ECO Student Spotlight on Ritney Coleman

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Ritney Coleman was recently featured in an article by the SMU Pathways to Business and Industry team. Ritney is a rising senior pursuing a B.S. in Economics with Financial Applications. A military veteran, he initially aimed to major in accounting and become a CPA, but decided on a different career path where he felt he could make more of a societal impact.

Ritney credits SMU’s vast resources with helping him focus on his passion for research and non-profit leadership. He’s gained practical experience by collaborating with local non-profits through community events. Ritney’s goal is to develop a non-profit that serves disadvantaged youth by providing various opportunities through field trips, seminars, sports programs, and college access support.

Ritney emphasizes the importance of networking and engaged actively with professors to uncover learning opportunities. This summer, he is a research assistant for Dr. Elizabeth Wheaton-Páramo, Research Associate Professor in Economics through the Office of Engaged Learning’s Summer Research Intensive. Ritney is using the SMU human trafficking data warehouse to gather data on organized crime groups transition between smuggling and human trafficking. Ritney noted that the knowledge obtained in his Introductory Econometrics class has helped him “feel confident analyzing data.”

When asked about his advice for incoming first-year students, Ritney said, “the opportunities are available, but students need to be active, not passive, in their networking pursuits. I was able to get an internship by simply asking my professor.” Ritney recommends first and second year undergraduate students schedule an appointment with the Hegi Family Career Development Center early for resume prep and to build their LinkedIn profile. He also credits his peers in the Economics department for providing him with useful resources.

For students interested in data analysis and practical skills development, Ritney suggests exploring the Bloomberg Terminals in the Business Library, where he is currently pursuing the Bloomberg Market Concepts Certificate.

To find out more information about the SMU Pathways to Business and Industry, please contact pbi@smu.edu. Full article can be found here.