Our Supporters

Economics Improvement Fund

We wish to thank all of our supporters who have contributed to the Economics Improvement Fund. Sponsoring visiting scholars and conferences, providing support to outstanding students, acquiring specialized teaching and research materials, providing valuable training opportunities, purchasing software and hardware, and covering expenses related to recruiting and other department activities-- these are some of the ways in which monies from the Economics Improvement Fund stimulate and enrich academic life. The department of economics relies on unrestricted contributions to the Fund to support these vital areas for which no adequate state funds exist.

We give special thanks to:

Campbell R. McConnell Robert C. and Patricia N. Bingham Jerry L. Petr

Campbell R. McConnell

Established by the McGraw-Hill Foundation with generous support from Dr. Campbell R. (Mac) McConnell and others, proceeds from The Campbell R. McConnell Fund for Excellence in Economics fund are used to support several programs in the Department.

Campbell R. McConnell earned his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa after receiving degrees from Cornell College and the University of Illinois. He taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1953 until his retirement in 1990. He is best known as the author of Economics, the best-selling economics textbook in the world. An estimated 14 million students have used Economics or its companion editions. It has been translated into Italian, Russian Chinese, French, Spanish, Portuguese and other languages. He is also the co-author of Contemporary Labor Economics. He is a recipient of both the University of Nebraska Distinguished Teaching Award and the James A. Lake Academic Freedom Award and is past president of the Midwest Economics Association. Professor McConnell was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Cornell College in 1973 and received its Distinguished Achievement Award in 1994. His primary areas of interest were labor economics and economic education. He had an extensive collection of jazz recordings and enjoyed reading jazz history.

Campbell R. McConnell Awards - provides scholastic awards to outstanding full-time graduate and undergraduate students majoring in economics.

Campbell R. McConnell Seminars - funds colloquia and seminars devoted to major economic issues to be presented by renowned scholars and experts in their fields.

His wonderful work and stunning legacy will live on forever. We are grateful that we can continue to honor him through the Campbell R. McConnell Graduate Awards and Campbell R. McConnell Seminars.

Robert C. and Patricia N. Bingham

The Robert C. and Patricia N. Bingham Economics Fellowship Fund is dedicated to providing financial assistance to those planning a teaching career in economics at the post-secondary level. The fellowships commemorate the Bingham's years at Nebraska (1955-1962) and particularly Professor Bingham's devotion to teaching economics. Each fellowship supplements a graduate assistantship for one academic year.

Dr. Robert C. Bingham was an undergraduate student at DePauw University and obtained M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern University. He taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1955 to 1962, where he was a colleague of Professor McConnell. He moved to Kent State University where he was promoted to full professor in 1967 and from which he retired in 1985. He was a devoted teacher. His research focused on pedagogy. He was a pioneer in the programmed learning approach and his Study Guide contributed in no small way to the success of McConnell's influential textbook. His books include, Study Guide to accompany McConnell's textbook.(14 editions), Mathematically Speaking, 1972, and Economic Concepts: a Programmed Approach (7-editions.)

The Jerry L. Petr Scholarship Fund

The Jerry L. Petr Scholarship Fund provides financial support to outstanding undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Business.

Dr. Jerry L. Petr earned both his M.A. and Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1967 after completing his undergraduate work at Cornell University in 1961. He joined the faculty at Nebraska in 1966 and retired after 35 years in 2001. He was honored with numerous teaching awards including a Fulbright Lectureship in Czechoslovakia in 1992. His scholarly research ranged from the history of economic thought to the study of Soviet-type economies. He conducted seminal research in Economics Education, including his book, A Personalized System of Instruction to Accompany McConnell: Economics, 6th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1975.

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS GIVING FUNDS

Support the academic, professional and administrative activities of the Department of Economics.

Economics Department Improvement Fund Bureau of Business Research Development Fund Nebraska Council on Economic Education Fund for Economic and Historical Studies Beta Gamma Sigma Scholarship Award Fund