Events
Grossman Lecture
Inaugurated in 1978, the Grossman Professorship Lecture is an annual event in the honor of Nissie Grossman (class of 1932). From its inception until 2001 Grossman Professor Emeritus Jan Hogendorn gave the lecture. The current Grossman Professor, Patrice Franko, gave 5 annual addresses; the lecture is now given either by a prominent visitor or any member of the economics faculty.
Nissie Grossman earned his BA from Colby College and his MBA from Harvard University. He dedicated his life to Grossman’s, the family building materials business. Starting as a yard worker, he moved up through the company to become Chairman of the Board in 1968. Twice elected to the Colby College Board of Trustees, he established the second endowed chair in the history of the College, the Grossman Professorship. Mr. Grossman’s Colby legacy endures through his son Tom Grossman (class of 1963), niece Barbara Starr Wolf (class of 1950), grandson Scott Kadish (1994), great niece Alessandra Grossman(2019) and the Grossman Professorship.
- 2022: Dr. Bridget Terry Long, Harvard Graduate School of Education, “Supporting College Access and Success: Promising Research from the Economics of Education”
- 2021: Dr. Trevon D. Logan, Ohio State University, “Competition and Discrimination in Public Accommodations: Evidence from the Green Books”
- 2020: Kimberly Clausing, Reed College, “Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital”
- 2019: Ethan Lewis, Dartmouth College, “Who Wins and Who Loses from Immigration Restrictions”
- 2018: Eric Rosengren, Boston Federal Reserve Bank, “Monetary, Fiscal and Financial Stability Policy Tools: Are We Equipped for the Next Recession”
- 2017: Gautam Gowrisankaran, University of Arizona, “Hospital Competition and Bargaining: Higher Prices or Greater Innovation”
- 2016: Jens Ludwig, University of Chicago, “Machine Learning and the Economics of Crime”
- 2015 Hillary Hoynes, Goldman School of Public Policy University of California, Berkeley, “Poverty, the Social Safety Net, and the Great Recession”
- 2014: Dean Karlan, Professor of Economics & Yale University, “Continued Existence of Cows Disproves Central Tenets of Capitalism”>
- 2013: Scott Barrett, Earth Institute & Columbia University, “Avoiding Climate Catastrophe”
- 2012: James Meehan, Wadsworth Professor of Economics, “Why Economists Should Be Humble When Giving Policy Advice” click here to listen to the podcast for this lecture.
- 2011: Professor Brendan Walsh (UC Dublin) “From Celtic Tiger to Celtic Catastrophe: What We Can Learn from Ireland’s Economic Crash” click here to listen to the podcast for this lecture.
- 2010: Senior Fellow Alice Rivlin (Brookings), “Can Our Political System Handle the Economic Challenges We Face?”
Co-Sponsored Conferences
Our Department actively supports local conferences that will give faculty and advanced students opportunities to present their latest research. In particular, we have co-sponsored annual events that bring professional economists and experienced students in Maine together to share ideas. The following is a listing of recent conferences we have been an active part of organizing and supporting: