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!
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!
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!
The Award for Excellence is given to a senior in Economics who has excelled in overall academic achievement and, at the same time, completed a broad set of the department’s most rigorous courses. This year’s award winner is Nikolas Powers. Congratulations Nikolas!
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.
SMU Giving Day happens once a year, and is a great way to show your love for the Department of Economics! Click the link and scroll to the Economics Department tile to generously support our work.
https://givingday.smu.edu/pages/academic-programs
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.
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.
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.
On May 11, 2024, we proudly celebrated a significant milestone for the Department of Economics as 142 bright minds were awarded their degrees. Among them were 133 undergraduates, 7 master’s students, and 2 PhD students, each marking the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and passion for the field of economics. Congratulations to each and every one of them as they embark on the next chapter. Their time here has equipped them with the analytical tools and critical thinking skills needed to navigate and influence the global economic landscape.
Watch a video of the ceremony here.
