Economics Pre-Doctoral Workshop for Underrepresented Minorities
On Friday, September 24th 2021, the Texas A&M Department of Economics hosted our 15th conference focused on pre-doctoral research assistantships and pathways to graduate programs for economics students. Previously the conference (known as the ASHE Conference – American Society of Hispanic Economists) focused on regional universities and Hispanic students. This year, the workshop was expanded […]
On Friday, September 24th 2021, the Texas A&M Department of Economics hosted our 15th conference focused on pre-doctoral research assistantships and pathways to graduate programs for economics students. Previously the conference (known as the ASHE Conference – American Society of Hispanic Economists) focused on regional universities and Hispanic students. This year, the workshop was expanded to universities nationwide and included all underrepresented minority groups in the profession.
Made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Terrence Larson, the conference organizers (Dr. Jonathan Meer, Dr. Steve Puller, and Dr. Danila Serra, Department of Economics, Texas A&M University; Dr. Mónica García-Perez, St. Cloud State University; and Cecília Moreira, Stanford PhD student and former student of Texas A&M) hosted over 40 attendees from institutions across the U.S. The conference included panels on pre-doc opportunities at research institutions and universities as well as PhD admissions perspectives.
The workshop is not just an informational forum – a major aim of the event is to enable a diverse set of undergraduates to meet with pre-doc employers to better prepare themselves for graduate work in economics. Over two dozen institutions participated in our career fair, including Columbia Business School, Microsoft Research, Chicago Booth, the World Bank, UC Berkeley, and multiple branches of the Federal Reserve Board.
Students also attended a keynote address by Carycruz Bueno of Wesleyan University. A virtual lunch allowed students to mingle with current pre-docs as well as hear from Christopher Neilson of Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs – and an active pre-doc employer.
Overall the conference was a major success. Students, faculty, and administrative representatives from a number of institutions indicated how impressed they were with this virtual platform that connected many potential researchers from smaller universities to employers looking to expand positions within their programs.