Economics Department

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EIU Economics Alumni Reception

For more information, click here to contact Dr. Tesa Leonce

Message from the Chair

"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes," as the song by Bowie says. The Department of Economics has undergone significant changes in the past couple of years. Dr. Ebrahim Karbassioon, our fearless leader for 18 years, decided to retire as of August 1, 2008. With great trepidation, I decided to try to fill his shoes. It has been an interesting, difficult, fun, exciting, easy, (insert your adjective here) transition, depending on which day you ask me. But, with an amazing and supportive group of faculty, staff, and students, the Department has made it through its first academic year with me as Chair. Woo hoo!

Last year, the Department also lost three other faculty members. Dr. Paul Fahy and Dr. William (Wild Bill) Thompson both retired, and Dr. Eric Hake headed west to a faculty position at Eastern Washington University. But don't despair! We have added two new tenure-track faculty members. Dr. Assande (Des') Adom and Dr. Ahmed Abou-Zaid both received their PhDs from SIU-Carbondale in monetary economics (lucky for us, they can explain what is going on at the Fed!). We also added a third Saluki, Dr. Sami Alabdulwahab, as an annually contracted faculty member.

With the addition of these three new faculty, our departmental version of the United Nations is growing. We are by far the most diverse department on campus with faculty from China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Ivory Coast, Nepal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, St. Lucia, and Vietnam. (Of course, Dr. Mason is from California, which is about as foreign to the Midwest as any of these other places.) We also have several graduate students from outside the United States. Our department picnics often allow us to sample delicacies from around the world.

The Department is expanding in another important way as well. With the hiring of a lot of new (YOUNG) faculty, we have had a baby boom in the Department! Last December, Dr. Hui Li gave birth to a son (Aidan). Ms. Andreea Chiritescu followed up with another boy (Alex). On May 1, Dr. Ahmed Abou-Zaid's wife delivered a baby girl (Haya), a welcome relief to Ahmed who also has two young sons. Last but not least, Dr. Sami Alabdulwahab's wife gave birth to their second daughter (Sarah) on May 14th. Whew! We have had our share of baby showers in the Department this year! But, it has been a lot of fun.

Dr. Mukti Upadhyay, our graduate coordinator, has been on sabbatical during Spring 2009. He is currently traveling and will be away from Charleston until August. We cannot wait to have him back and hope that he has had a productive trip. He is still in contact by e-mail, so if you have any questions about our graduate program, please feel free to e-mail him at mpupadhyay@eiu.edu.

Our undergraduate advisor, Dr. Tim Mason has been keeping busy in the department, on the golf course, and in community theater presentations. Dr. Mason is also our alumni coordinator, so please keep in touch with him! His e-mail address is timason@eiu.edu.

Our 31st annual Chicago Financial Institutions Trip took place on April 9th and 10th. Two undergraduates and six graduate students accompanied Drs. Mason, Adom, and Moshtagh to several organizations that employ our alumni such as the Government Accountability Office and the Chicago Fed. The students were able to visit with traders on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade. On the evening of the 10th, a reunion took place with Chicago-area alumni. Dr. Hal Nordin and Dr. Ebi Karbassioon also attended. This alumni reunion is an annual event, so please send us your e-mail address so we can remain in touch and provide you with upcoming dates for future reunions.

Speaking of remaining in contact, the EIU Department of Economics has its own Facebook page! If you are on Facebook, please search for "EIU Department of Economics." You can then become a fan, which allows you to receive updates on the department's status including alumni events. I also would like to encourage you to send in a copy of your current business card for our "Board of Fame." This board allows our students to see the wide opportunities available to graduates of economics.

Last, let me invite you to drop by the Department the next time you are in Charleston. I know that a great deal has changed, but you will still likely find a familiar face and you will always be welcome here. The one thing that will never change here in the Department of Economics at Eastern Illinois University is our dedication to our students.

Last updated: Tuesday 09th of February 2010 08:35:05 AM