Economics, Finance and Accounting Department

The department combines three disciplines: economics, finance, and accounting. Economics investigates how societies produce, distribute and consume resources. Focus is on understanding how markets work and the role of the government in tempering economic problems – both domestic and international – that may arise. Finance investigates how financial markets function: the allocation of financial resources among varying investment alternatives; how businesses raise, spend, and invest financial capital; and the role of government. Accounting studies how enterprises track income and assets over time to measure financial performance & health for users who make resource allocation decisions based on that information.

Departmental Honors

Students who have a GPA of at least 3.25 in their major courses are urged to complete a substantial research project to qualify for honors in management and economics at graduation.

Faculty

Hossein Akhavi-Pour, professor, chair. BA 1969, Faculty of Law, Tehran University; MA 1975, PhD 1980, Kansas State University. Work experience: government, consulting, and academic. Research interests: international economics, regional economics, and the economics of developing countries.

Fahima Aziz, professor. BA 1979, Mount Holyoke College; MS 1984, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; PhD 1994, University of Minnesota. Research interests: labor economics, development economics, poverty and income inequality, and microcredit institutions.

Mary L. Bochnak, professor. BS 1972, MBA 1976, PhD 1982, University of Minnesota. Work experience: business, government and nonprofit organizations, and private consulting. Research interests: nonprofit organizations, financial and accounting models, real estate.

Stacie A. Bosley, visiting professor. BBA 1994, University of Wisconsin-Madison; PhD 2001, University of Minnesota. Work experience: information systems consulting. Research interests: labor economics and bounded rationality.

Elizabeth W. Gunderson, professor. BAS 1976, University of Minnesota; MBA 1981, University of St. Thomas; PhD 1991, The Union Institute. Work experience: nonprofit organizations and private consulting. Research interests: forensic economics, security analysis.

J. Dan Lehmann, assistant professor. BS 1974, MS 1975, PhD 1982, University of Illinois. Work experiences: business executive in international firms and consulting. Research interests: investments, corporate finance and management.

Jack Reardon, professor, B.A. College of the Holy Cross 1981; M.A. 1984, Ph.D. 1991 Economics, University of Notre Dame. Research Interests: Economics Education, Energy and the Environment, Poverty and Unemployment. Founding Editor of the International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education.

Chad Sponsler, visiting assistant professor. B. Acct. 2002, MBA 2003, University of North Dakota; JD 2008, Hamline University; CPA. Research interests: Certified Public Accountant exam performance variables, financing higher education, educational tax incentives.

Imen Tebourbi, assistant professor, B.B.A. 2000 IHEC Tunis, MS 2002 HEC Montreal, Ph.D. 2006, University Paris Dauphine. Work experience: Researcher. Research interest: Mergers and Acquisitions, Managerial Compensation, Risk Management, Corporate Governance.

Nancy Webber, visiting instructor. BS 2002 and MBT 2004, University of Minnesota. Work experience: CPA with concentration in business taxation.