NEWSLETTER

Wellesley College Department of Economics June 2014

Dear Alumnae, Graduating Seniors, Former (W’04) and Seth Neumuller. Baafra returns Faculty, and Friends of Economics at to Wellesley after completing her Ph.D. at Wellesley: Columbia. Her research focuses on development economics with an emphasis When I was graduating from Wellesley in on firm behavior. Seth joins the faculty 1986, Julie Matthaei had just taken over as after completing his Ph.D. at UCLA. His Chair of the Department from Chip Case. I research is in applied macroeconomics with am now writing to you for the first time in a focus on issues relating to consumer my official capacity as Chair of the finance and labor markets. We also hired a Department, and I can tell you with some new faculty member who will begin certainty that in 1986, this would have teaching in Fall 2014. Kyung Park just seemed like a farfetched dream! I have finished his Ph.D. at the University of much interesting news to report from my Chicago. His research is in political first year of Chair-dom (or my first year economy, with a focus on judicial decision- “living the dream,” as I’ve taken to calling making. More information on Baafra and it). Seth is available in the faculty section below; look for more information about The Economics Department continues to be Kyung next year. very popular with students at Wellesley. While we do not have the official final count In addition to the 66.5 units of Economics yet, there are about 115 Economics and IR- courses the Department offered this year, we Econ majors and 39 Econ minors graduating also hosted two high profile events for the this year -- an all-time high. We had 1,394 College community. We hosted the 21st in enrollments for the 2013-2014 Academic Goldman Lecture, which allows the year. The Economics Department is a lively Department to bring in a prominent speaker place on any given weekday afternoon each Fall, thanks to the generous support of during the semester: office hours spill out of Professor Marshall Goldman and his family. professors’ offices into the common areas; This year, the Goldman Lecture was given students pass laptops back and forth to show by Charles Evans, President of the Federal each other regression results and take over Reserve Bank of Chicago, who spoke about the chalkboards to show how they “Monetary Policy: A View from the Inside,” approached a problem; professors which gave us all an up-close view of both collaborate with each other and students on the how’s and the why’s of monetary policy. research projects; despite the activity, A second high profile event, the Calderwood occasionally someone is overcome by a nap Lecture, was held in the Spring thanks to a on the comfy couch while waiting for a generous gift from Stanford Calderwood. meeting. The lecture was by one of our own: Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach (W’95). At We added some new talent to the Wellesley, Diane was a double major in Department this year with Baafra Abeberese Economics and Religion. She is now Associate Professor at the School of of Public Policy and Economics at Duke Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. Many alums are serving the University. She spoke about “Lifetime public in myriad capacities. Two examples Impacts of the Safety Net: The Long-Term are Betsey Stevenson (W’93) who is a Effects of Access to Food Stamps on Health, member of the Council of Economic Education, and Income.” Both talks were Advisers, and Ioana Petrescu (W’03) who is well attended and resulted in lively the Romanian finance minister (the first discussion. woman to hold this post since the fall of Communism and the youngest member of The department is proud of the the Romanian Cabinet). Finally, this year’s accomplishments of all of its students, but I commencement speaker at Wellesley is will highlight a few of them here. Nine Susan Wagner an Economics and English students participated in the Economics major from the class of 1982! See Research Seminar, which is a key part of our http://www.wellesley.edu/news for more honors program. Two students, Helen Willis details. and YiKang Li, won Schiff Fellowships from the College in support of their thesis Faculty have had a busy and productive work. A number of recent alums accepted year. I’m delighted to report that Casey offers to begin excellent PhD programs in Rothschild was granted tenure and Courtney Economics (Lizi Chen - MIT, Lisa Abraham Coile and Patrick McEwan were promoted - Harvard, Caitlin Kearns – UC-Berkeley, to the rank of full professor. Our faculty and Rebecca Cannon Fraenkel - UC-San continue to provide important service to the Diego). Caitlin and Becky both received College outside of Economics. Joe Joyce prestigious National Science Foundation ably leads the Albright Institute. Akila fellowships in support of their doctoral Weerapana will be taking over as head of research -- quite a yield for a small school the Pforzheimer Learning and Teaching like Wellesley! Economics students have Center this Fall. Courtney Coile is the also received recognition outside of Director of the Knapp Social Science Economics – three out of the four Fulbright Center. Ann Velenchik will be directing the grant recipients from Wellesley were Econ Writing, First Year Seminar, Wellesley or IR-Econ majors PLUS, and Public Speaking programs (http://www.wellesley.edu/news/2014/05/no beginning this Fall. David Lindauer is the de/43609)! Director of the Calderwood Seminars in Public Writing, a suite of 9 new writing- Many of our alumnae have achieved intensive courses across the disciplines. Phil important milestones this last year. Please Levine partnered with the admissions office see the section on alumnae news at the end to develop MyIntuition, a tool to help of the newsletter. However, I will highlight families get accurate and timely estimates of a few here. Cambridge University Press the cost of college (See recently released Eminent Economists II: http://www.wellesley.edu/admission/afforda Their Life and Work Philosophies. Of the 30 ble/myintuition). Faculty have also made Economists spotlighted, two are Wellesley important scholarly contributions to alumnae: Clair Brown (W’68), who was a economics and public policy, including math major and is now a professor of Pinar Keskin’s recent paper in the American Economics at Berkeley, and Helen (Sunny) Economic Journal: Applied entitled, “The Ladd (W’67) whose contribution to the Historically Evolving Impact of the Ogallala book, “Confessions of a Wellesley FEM,” Aquifer: Agricultural Adaptation to Ground pays clear tribute to and Water and Drought,” Dan Fetter’s paper in will leave readers in no doubt of her the American Economic Journal: Economic undergraduate major. Sunny Ladd is the Policy entitled, “How do Mortgage Edgar T. Thompson Distinguished Professor Subsidies Affect Home Ownership? Evidence from the Mid-century GI Bills,” and Robin McKnight’s paper in the Journal *************** of Health Economics entitled “The Impact of Patient Cost-Sharing on Low-Income This year, the Economics Department’s Populations: Evidence from .” Annual Senior Dinner was held on Monday, May 5, 2014 in Tishman Hall with 81 of our There is also news of a more personal nature 115 majors in attendance. Participants en- to report. Our beloved Chip Case had a poor joyed music played by the Wellesley Jazz health event last autumn that kept him in the Ensemble and Award winners for 2014 were hospital for some time. Being Chip, this did announced at the dinner. not keep him from attending the ceremony in Stockholm when his dear friend and collaborator Bob Shiller received his Nobel **************** Prize in Economics! Many other faculty have experienced important life events this year; in particular, there has been a baby- 2014 Economics Department boom. I will let individuals describe their Award Winners family changes in their own words in the individual reports below, but suffice it to say The Wall Street Journal Award: that there is much adorableness available in Anastasia Hou and Cristina Ferlauto the Wellesley Economics Department these days! The Peggy Howard Fellowship: Nitya Pandalai Nayar ’07 Late breaking news: at Commencement, Joe Caitlin Kearns ’10 Joyce was announced as one of this year’s Rebecca Cannon Fraenkel ‘11 Pinanski Teaching Prize winners! Congratulations, Joe! The Natalie Bolton Faculty Prize in Economics (Best 200-level Paper): I hope we see many of you at reunion – our Peace Siribodhi and Soomi Kim reception will be at 3:30-4:30 on Saturday, June 7th on the 4th floor of Pendleton East. The Natalie Bolton Faculty Prize in Best wishes to all for a relaxing and Econometrics: enjoyable summer. Alice Liang ’16, Annie Liu ’15, and Cate Yoon ‘14 Sincerely, Kristin F. Butcher, Chair The Natalie Bolton Faculty Prize in Economics (Best 300-level Paper): **************** Helen Willis

The joint Williams/Amherst/Wesleyan/ The Natalie Bolton Faculty Prize in cocktail reception at Domestic Economics: the American Economics Association Sophie Sun meetings in Philadelphia, January 3-5, 2014 was well attended, bringing together The Natalie Bolton Faculty Prize in alumnae, former faculty, and current faculty. International Economics: Next year’s meetings will be held in Emma Rackstraw in Boston on January 3-5, 2015. Please follow this link to learn The Joseph Lambie Economic History more about the annual meeting: Prize: http://www.aeaweb.org/Annual_Meeting/ Yikang Li

The Natalie Bolton Student Prize: disciplinary group of faculty and staff who Sophie Sun form the steering committee to devise ways to support quantitative research and teaching **************** across the curriculum at Wellesley. This summer, the second QAI summer program 2013-2014 ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT will run with about 20 students participating. FACULTY AND THEIR ACTIVITIES This program complements the summer research program in which students work Ama Baafra Abeberese '04 completed her closely with faculty on research projects, first year at Wellesley, on the other side of and focuses on data handling and the classroom this time, and enjoyed being management skills. The QAI also offered back. She taught Development Economics two courses focusing on causal inference (Econ 220) and International Trade Theory during the academic year. Kristin has high (Econ 314) in the fall and two sections of hopes for the QAI and its impact on Principles of Macroeconomics (Econ 102) in quantitative research and teaching at the spring. On the research front, she Wellesley! On the research front, Kristin presented her paper on the impact of high published a paper (with Mary Visher of electricity costs in India on firms' MDRC) in Educational Evaluation and technology choices at an IZA conference in Policy Analysis which analyzed the results Germany and another paper on the effect of of a randomized-controlled experiment electricity shortages on firm investment at assigning classroom-based guidance to the inaugural Liberal Arts Colleges students in remedial math classes. Kristin Development Economics conference at also released a working paper and policy Amherst College. Her paper, coauthored brief on the impact of the Community with Todd Kumler (Columbia) and Leigh Reinvestment Act on consumer credit Linden (UT Austin), evaluating the outcomes (with Ana Patricia Munoz of the effectiveness of a reading program in the Boston Fed), and continued her work with Philippines using a randomized experiment Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach (W’95, was accepted for publication in the Journal Northwestern University), Patricia Anderson of Human Resources. She enjoyed sharing (Dartmouth) and Hilary Hoynes (UC- this work with students at an ESA lecture in Berkeley) on food insecurity in the United the fall. Outside work, she welcomed a baby States, which was supported by grants from boy this spring, less than 48 hours after her the Russell Sage Foundation and the last macro class! University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research. This has resulted in working Kristin Butcher ’86 had an exciting and papers and an op-ed piece in U.S. News and busy year as the new Chair of the World Report. On the home front, Kristin Economics Department. It is hard to live up cannot believe that her daughters are now to Phil Levine’s legacy, but she is grateful 12, 10, and 8. She lives with them, her that his leadership has left her with such a husband, her father-in-law, two dogs, two fantastic department! In addition to learning guinea pigs, and a fish. Sadly, a beloved the ropes of being a Chair, Kristin taught gecko is no more and her daughters Econometrics and Intro Micro. She is also complain that the house is empty and they the chair of the steering committee for the need another pet. new Quantitative Analysis Institute at Wellesley. Thanks to a generous gift, Casey Courtney Coile ended her 14th (!) year at Pattanayak is now the (founding) Jack and the College on a happy note, having just Sandra Polk Guthman Director of the been promoted to full professor. She Quantitative Analysis Institute (see appreciates the vote of confidence from her http://www.wellesley.edu/lts/qai). Kristin senior colleagues and the College. While she enjoys working with Casey and the cross- will no longer be the Class of 1966 Associate Professor, she is honored to have old age security and the health effects of been affiliated with the class and grateful for wartime food rationing. He is headed back their support of Wellesley. Over the past to the East Coast this summer and will go year, a mix of teaching, research, and back to teaching his courses in service activities has kept her busy. She microeconomics and econometrics. His enjoyed teaching principles of micro and former students from micro will know that public economics this spring, courses she he eagerly awaits peach season in had not taught since 2009. She co-authored Massachusetts! two chapters for a National Bureau of Economic Research volume on disability Eric Hilt taught his usual finance, economic insurance programs and retirement around history, and macro courses this year. He the world and is co-authoring a report on the continues to work on American financial economic implications of the aging U.S. history, and has new projects analyzing the population as a member of a National effects of the creation of the first securities Academy of Sciences panel. At the College, ratings, on early American corporation law, she continues to serve as Faculty Director and on early financial panics. And his paper for the social sciences and on the Budget on the Panic of 1907, which is co-authored Advisory Committee. She ran her first with Carola Frydman (NWU-Kellogg) and marathon this past fall, but doubts that she Lily Zhou (Wellesley ’11) was accepted at will be faster than her children Nathaniel the Journal of Political Economy. He also (11) and Meredith (7) for much longer. had some big personal news – he has a baby daughter! Next year Eric will be on leave, Brett Danaher Brett Danaher was on visiting the Economics Department at Yale sabbatical and living in Santa Monica, University. California. His work on the closure of Megaupload was accepted into the Joe Joyce has had a busy year. He taught International Journal of Industrial classes in intermediate macro, financial Organization and his paper on pricing and markets, the economics of globalization and bundling of digital music was accepted into international macroeconomics. A co- Management Science. He spent his time in authored article with Tess DeLean LA working with the major film studios on (Wellesley ’11) on stock markets and the research relating to strategic release timing output costs of banking crises was accepted of films on digital channels as well as policy for publication at the Journal of Financial questions relating to the impact of Economic Policy. Cambridge University filesharing on the supply of creative content. Press is publishing a paperback version of While excited about returning to Wellesley his book, The IMF and Global Financial and teaching in the Fall, Brett will certainly Crises: Phoenix Rising?, this summer. His miss the ability to find a beach volleyball blog on financial globalization, Capital Ebbs game any night of the week and all day on and Flows, can be found at: the weekends (even in February!). https://blogs.wellesley.edu/jjoyce/

Dan Fetter As predicted in last year's Joe served again as Faculty Director for the newsletter, Dan Fetter spent 2013-14 Madeleine Korbel Institute for Global enjoying his early leave at Stanford. After a Affairs, which held its fifth program this two-and-a-half week drive across the past January. Last June, he traveled to country to get there, he and his wife Heidi Beijing to participate in a joint program of settled down to work on research for the the Institute and Peking University. He year, with breaks to enjoy the sun and to looks forward to future trips to . engage in some serious avocado consumption. He continued his research in Pinar Keskin had a wonderful, busy third economic history, studying the evolution of year at Wellesley. She taught two sections of Introductory Microeconomics, a 200-level that the lack of opportunity harms the seminar on Environmental Economics, as aspirations of those at the bottom of the well as a Probability and Statistics class. income distribution, which can be seen by a Outside the classroom, Pinar continues to greater propensity to drop out of high school pursue her research projects on the in high inequality, low mobility locations. If determinants and consequences of water Phil is not at his desk or in a classroom at access. Her coauthored work with Richard Pendleton, he is almost surely at a baseball Hornbeck on the agricultural adaptation to field or catching a game on TV, watching groundwater availability in the US High his sons or the Red Sox play ball. That Plains was published in the American World Series championship sure was nice! Economic Journal: Applied Economics in January. Pinar also started to work on a David Lindauer taught Econ 101, multi-phase study in Rajasthan, India. This Econ/Phil 246, Inequality, and Econ 335, project, which is funded by the International Economic Journalism. For their final Growth Centre, will provide the first assignment, Econ 335 students interview detailed understanding of how markets for academic economists. This year’s line-up drinking water operate in developing was especially impressive and included Raj countries, and how supply-side constraints Chetty, Richard Freeman, Jonathan Gruber, on water availability affect retail prices and Gregory Mankiw, Joseph Newhouse, Debraj transaction costs. On the home front, Pinar Raj and Dani Rodrik. David’s success with and her husband are trying to keep up with Economic Journalism has inspired a new their 18-month old daughter, Maya, who is program at Wellesley, the Calderwood now trying to imitate every single word and Seminars in Public Writing; David serves as song she hears as if she's having a real its first Faculty Director. This was the conversation while trying to explore the program’s inaugural year with nine 300 world around her with never-ending level seminars offered across the disciplines. curiosity. Eighty-nine students were enrolled and the majority was as enthusiastic about their Phil Levine Phil Levine enjoyed the calm in experience as have been students and his first year back as a civilian in the alumnae who have taken Economic department after completing his six year Journalism. The Inter-American stint as Chair. After teaching Introductory Development Bank published David’s work Statistics (Econ 103) and Economic on the labor market in Belize and the Oxford Analysis of Social Policy (Econ 318) in the Companion to Comparative Politics fall, he spent the spring semester on leave, published David’s entry on Free Trade. focusing on his research. The spring David continues to serve as Chair of the semester started with quite a splash upon the Advisory Group of the Center for Global release of his coauthored research paper Development. On the personal front, David (with former Wellesley colleague, Melissa became a grandfather in February with the Kearney) concluding that the MTV show, 16 birth of grandson, Bodhi. and Pregnant, played an important role in the recent dramatic decline in the teen birth Julie Matthaei taught two great groups of rate. This paper received considerable media students in her Feminist Economics and coverage; Phil’s favorites were Political Economy of Gender, Race and Entertainment Weekly and US Magazine! Class courses. For their final projects, her After the attention from that paper subsided, students created an online game to educate Phil spent the rest of the semester focused about class issues in college. They on completing a new paper (also with researched the possibility of a free store on Kearney) on the consequences of high campus, and the 1980s movement to divest income inequality and low rates of social from South Africa, in support of the current mobility in the United States. They argue Fossil Free Wellesley divestment campaign. They also revitalized the Wellesley College an early-grade literacy intervention in Alumnae in Careers with a Conscience, as a Kenyan schools, and a rural school reform in linked in group; Julie urges you to join, to Honduras. He also worked on several new give and receive support about ways to live projects, including experimental evaluations your values in your career. Julie was excited of a Honduran conditional cash transfer to hear about two of her former students policy and Venezuela’s youth orchestra who are making waves in this regard. system. Finally, he received the happy news Charlene Wang ’03 founded Tranquil of his promotion to full professor. Tuesdays, a social enterprise, with the goal of empowering poor Chinese women. Robin McKnight has had a good, busy Rovaira Dasig ’11 created PULSE to year. She enjoyed indoctrinating another channel the creative energies of the generation of Wellesley students about Phillipine diaspora back to the homeland; correlation and causation (i.e., teaching she is funding it with a sit-com about statistics) and also teaching an elective on Filipino Americans which she wrote! Julie health economics. She made a lot of was brought to national attention in progress on a new, grant-funded research February. She signed onto an open letter project about the impact of limited network from 600 economists to President Obama health insurance plans. In addition, Robin urging that he raise the minimum wage. In was happy to have papers accepted for an attempt to discredit the letter, the publication at American Economic Journal: Employment Policy Institute, a group Economic Policy (co-authored with Phil funded by the restaurant industry, took out a Levine and Courtney Coile) and at the full-page ad in the New York Times singling Journal of Health Economics. Outside of out 8 of the signers, including Julie, who work, Robin enjoyed a trip to France with were Marxist or radical economists. (Julie her family in November. calls herself a Marxist-feminist-anti-racist- ecological economist on her page on the Seth Neumuller had a busy and productive college website). The Boston Globe picked first year at Wellesley. He taught multiple up the story, and Julie published two letters, sections of Intermediate Macroeconomics to the New York Times, and to the Globe, and a course in Finance Theory. While Seth responding to the attack. Keep an eye on has enjoyed many pleasant surprises since Moyers & Company, which has been in joining the economics department at contact with Julie about being interviewed Wellesley, he was particularly impressed by on the show. Julie continues to serve on the his students' willingness to take on the board of the U.S. Solidarity Economy challenges associated with learning Network, which is a member of the Intermediate Macroeconomics from a Intercontinental Network for the Promotion neoclassical perspective, an approach that of the Social Solidarity Economy, RIPESS, requires extensive use of the Lagrangian and is in the midst of an NSF-funded project Method and learning most of the Greek to map the solidarity economy in the U.S. alphabet. In addition to prepping lectures which Julie spear-headed. She is chairing and holding office hours, Seth also made two panels at the upcoming Left Forum in significant progress on his research which New York City, and hopes to finish a first lies at the intersection of macroeconomics, draft of her book, Living in the Solidarity consumer finance, and labor economics. Economy, this summer. Julie just attended This summer, Seth is excited to begin work the graduation of her daughter, Ella, from on a new project that will investigate the Trinity College! effect of bankruptcy laws on consumers' incentive to invest in the financial Patrick McEwan taught three sections of knowledge required to fully understand debt 101 during a busy Fall, and Econometrics in contracts such as credit cards and mortgage Spring. He published impact evaluations of loans. agenda was to explore the mechanisms behind the “beauty premium” – the Casey Rothschild had a busy third year at empirical observation that more attractive Wellesley. In addition to teaching two individuals earn higher wages in the labor semesters of Intermediate Micro Analysis, market. Another direction for research was his first year writing seminar, Contemporary to investigate the effects of institutional Economic Issues, and his 300-level Strategy background on cooperation. Olga is and Information course while raising his extremely proud of her student, Prerana daughters Adele (now 4) and Mabel (21 Nanda’14, who designed and ran pilot months), Casey chaired the Faculty Benefits experiments on this project as part of her Committee and stood for, and was granted, senior honors thesis. Olga spent the spring tenure. semester on maternity leave, being He will spend his sabbatical next year as a constantly amazed and challenged as a new fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for mom to the sweetest little boy, Evan. Advanced Study at , where he hopes to have plenty of time to Dan Sichel had a great second year at work on various research projects on Wellesley and is no longer feeling like the optimal tax theory. new kid on the block. In the fall, he taught a section of 102 and his 300-level seminar on Kartini Shastry had a productive and busy U.S. macroeconomic policy. Fortunately fifth year at Wellesley College. In the Fall (or, perhaps, unfortunately!) there is no semester of 2013, she was on sabbatical and shortage of interesting material for a macro spent her time in the department, learning policy class these days. In the spring, Dan how to balance doing research and taking taught two sections of 102 and had another care of a very active toddler. In the Spring really good group of students. In terms of semester of 2014, she added two sections of research, Dan completed a paper with David Econometrics to that challenge! Returning to Byrne and Steve Oliner on semiconductor teaching after a year and a half reminded her prices. The paper shows that prices of how much she enjoys interacting with the microprocessors have been falling faster students, teaching them Stata and advising than reported in official government the Econometrics projects. Her students statistics, suggesting that innovation has have been coming up with some very been more rapid as well. Dan had a chance interesting questions and innovative to present this and related work at the strategies! On the research side, Kartini’s Boston Fed, the National Bureau of research on education and financial Economic Research and at conferences in outcomes was published in The Review of Sydney and Ottawa. On new research, Dan Financial Studies earlier this spring. Kartini is pursuing additional work on measuring continues her other work on arsenic prices of high-tech products and also is contamination in drinking water and extending his earlier research on the prices breastfeeding in Bangladesh, anemia of nails and screws going back to 1700. He prevention in school children in Orissa, also hopes to come back to work on growth India, and financial literacy in the U.S., prospects for the U.S. economy. In the Singapore and South Africa. Department, Dan very much enjoyed serving as faculty liaison for the ESA. Finally, Dan

is planning to build a Federal-style dining Olga Shurchkov ’01 had a fantastic and room table this summer in his basement life-changing year. In the fall, she taught workshop. principles of macroeconomics, loving every moment of showing students how to see Susan Skeath (van Mulbregt) continues to current events through the lens of economic teach Econ 201 (Intermediate Micro) and analysis. One of the items on her research Econ 222 (Games of Strategy) and to enjoy each one. Good thing, because she is a summer bridge program for middle scheduled to teach three sections of 201 as students who aspire to be the first in their well as 222 again next year! This year, families to attend college. Corri continues to Sue finished up the fourth edition of her promote quantitative reasoning at Wellesley text Games of Strategy (with Avinash Dixit College and across the US and in Chile at and David Reiley) and that should be out by colleges and school districts developing QR the end of the summer. She has also been courses and programs. She also continues working on an Intermediate her workshops training professors in using Microeconomics text, co-authored with environmental sustainability as a context for colleague Ann Velenchik. Her research teaching QR across the curriculum. Last project on learning in beauty contest year’s workshop theme was math and the experiments, joint with Jeff Livingston environment on your campus; this year’s is (Bentley) and Mike Price (Tennessee), math at the beach and in marine continues. One paper from that project was environments. Daughter Rebecca is re-submitted for publication this spring and completing her first year at Beloit College in a second one is in progress. In family news, Wisconsin, where she is studying public Emily (19) finished her freshman year at health. Ursinus College where she is a varsity volleyball player and an environmental Akila Weerapana has had a very busy year studies and biology major; Pierce (17) is a at Wellesley. Because of some last minute junior in high school, loves science, and was department staffing issues, I ended up captain of the boys varsity volleyball team teaching 3 classes in the Fall and 3 classes this spring. for a part of the Spring semester. While I enjoyed teaching all the extra students, I Ann Velenchik is entering her last year found that the combination of old age and (supposedly) as Director of the Writing young children definitely left me ill- Program, and was talked into also taking on prepared to pull the kind of all-night or late- responsibility for the First-Year Seminar, night efforts that were needed to keep up WellesleyPLUS and Public Speaking with three classes. If you are an alumna who programs. Don't worry though -- she is still sent me an email over the last year and got a an economist, as is evidenced by her having very delayed response or no response at all, negotiated reasonable compensation for all please forgive me. Teaching at Wellesley that additional work. Remember, it's okay continues to remain extraordinarily fulfilling to be loyal to your employer, but you don't because the students are so willing to work need to give your labor away. She and Sue hard and be challenged. And even though Skeath are in the final chapters of their the title of the course does not change, the micro book, and seeing examples of material does, as I found out when teaching economics in action all around them. The Monetary Theory and Policy this semester kids (Nate, 17 and Becca, 13) are thriving, after having last taught it in 2006. It was and we are getting ready to send Nate off to sobering to read the notes from that year and college. Not a moment too soon. think about how much the world has changed since then. I also had the Corri Taylor enjoyed teaching two sections opportunity to travel and speak to Wellesley of Introductory Microeconomics this spring. Alumnae clubs in several cities: Los She loves introducing students to the ways Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Naples among that economists see the world and exposing them, which I continue to enjoy greatly. On them to concepts that they can use the professional front there was some good throughout their lives, such as opportunity research related news related to work we did costs. Corri also enjoyed working with evaluating the impact of Wellesley's grading sophomore Hannah Ruebeck on an policy and some challenging news because independent study examining the efficacy of the publisher of my textbook filed for bankruptcy (which should tell you touch with friends, colleagues, and students. something about what a best-seller that He can be reached at his home address and was). via email.

The biggest looming change for me is that I Marshall Goldman and his wife, Merle, will be taking on a new position as the now spend most of their time in Cambridge, Faculty Director of the Pforzheimer where they are still involved in the Learning and Teaching Center this Fall. This centers for Russian and Chinese studies at is a new role for me with responsibilities Harvard. They still come out to Wellesley that include mentoring new faculty, helping for family events and for the annual existing faculty deal with challenges related Goldman Lecture in Economics. They spend to improving their teaching at Wellesley, time with friends, their four children and working with students to improve twelve grandchildren, the oldest of whom, educational outcomes and evaluating various Jessica Goldman, was a 2006 Wellesley new policies and initiatives at Wellesley graduate. Marshall remains involved in his such as shadow grading, supplemental many interests including early music, instruction and online courses. The support of college Hillel programs, and downside is that I will be doing a minimal many other charitable works. He welcomes amount of teaching for the next three years. letters from students and friends. The glass is half-full approach is that this is a 3-year break that will help me do some Ann Dryden Witte On the research front, positive things for the college and to further the University of Chicago team that Ann is my own professional development, the glass working with is analyzing the 2012 National is half-empty view is that I will be miserable Survey of Early and School-age Care without interacting with students in the (NSECE) to inform US child care policy and classroom. We shall see what the empirical further understanding of US families with evidence reveals. young children, the childcare workforce, child care providers. For early reports, click On the home front, the kids are doing great. here or type 2012 NSECE into your search My daughter, Anya is going into second box. Ann is also running a financial and grade and remains the live wire of the economic consulting firm (ADW family. She loves reading, geography, Consultants, LLC) that provides financial history and One Direction (and not advice & financial education. On the necessarily in that order). Kiran will be personal front, Ann’s grandson Basil Dryden entering kindergarten in the Fall. He loves Witte is now three & a delight. Jeffrey, puzzles, numbers, and the Teenage Mutant Christine and Basil are now living in Aix en Ninja Turtles (again not necessarily in that Provence and Ann will be visiting them later order). Their dad does not share the same this month. Ann continues to listens to a passion for the vocal violence of Harry, wide variety of music and recommends the Niall et al. or the actual violence of new agey work of John Luther Adams. She Leonardo, Michelangelo et al. but is thrilled also recommends the novel Garden of the about the rest. I hope all of you have had a Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng and the healthy, happy and productive year and film The Straight Story. please do write. Even if I am dreadfully bad at responding, it means so much to hear ********** from you. ALUMNAE NEWS

FACULTY EMERITI Kavita Sridhar Srinivasan ’02 and her husband Vijay became parents again with Karl (Chip) Case Chip continues to attend the birth of their son, Arjun Raja. He joins Red Sox home games and is eager to keep in sister Jaya. Kavita will be taking a parental leave from her position at the UK Committee on Climate Change. Rishika Agarwalla ’09 has just started Cornell's One Year Accelerated MBA Sharon Wong Roush ’03 now works with program. Brandywine Group Advisors. Mariss Pelliccia ’09 works for Google’s Heather Long ’04 has joined CNN Money Corporate Finance team. as their Markets & Investing editor. Lisa Abraham '10 is finishing a master's Caroline Dickerson ’05 works at Staples degree at the London School of Economics corporate headquarters in a project and will be entering the Harvard Economics management role. PhD program in the fall. Maeve Gearing ’05 works at the Urban Olivia Berzin '10 is working at RTI Institute in Washington, DC. International in Waltham, MA doing health economics and health services research. Marisol Trowbridge ’05 graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Samantha Chu ‘10 after finishing two years International Studies last May. She has with the Peace Corps in Azerbaijan is now launched Puzzle Apparel, a web-based working with the Asian American women’s clothing line that can be found at Journalists Association in San Francisco. www.puzzleapparel.com Natasha Sivananjaiah '10 was an intern at Dubravka Colic Ritter '06 is a new mom to the Office of Management in Budget during Lena (about 9 months old) and continues to summer 2013 and is in her third year of law work at the Federal Reserve in Philadelphia. school.

Marina Turlakova ’06 works in Cambridge Alex Solimano '10 ran her first marathon for Innovations for Poverty Action, an NGO last fall. that conducts evaluations of development policies. Afia Tasneem '10 is working at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. and has recently Minji Yao ’06 writes for the Shanghai co-authored a paper in the American Journal Daily. of Clinical Nutrition.

Cortni Jones ‘07 is an Insight Analyst at Zahra Asharia ’11 is living in Mombasa, Celerity Information Services in London. Kenya, pursuing a 2-year teaching fellowship with the Aga Khan Academy, an Sara Hess ’08 has received a master’s International IB school. degree in city and regional planning from MIT. Toby Chaiken '11 is finishing her 1st year in the health policy PhD program at Lauren Hurwitz ’08 works in London for Harvard. Moelis & Company, a financial service firm. Siwen Chen '11 is a management consultant with Oliver Wyman Financial Services in Tarini Mohan ’08 works for BRAC, the New York City. largest NGO in the world as measured by the number of employees and the number of Alexis Liu ’11 will finish law school this people it has helped. She is working out of spring and join the law firm Sidley Austin the offices of the Center for Global next fall. Last year she was married in the Development in Washington, D.C. Wellesley chapel with many classmates in attendance.

Madeline Weeks '11 has been awarded a Gates Scholarship to study in Cambridge during 2014-15. She will pursue an MPhil in Geographical Research.

Alex Curatolo '12 and Lia Dawley '12 are working at Horst Frisch, Inc. in Washington, DC.

Mary Huang ’12 is finishing up two years with Teach for China, spent at Lijiao Middle School in Binchuan, Yunnan, and is headed for Columbia Law School in fall.

Rifaiyat Mahbub ’12 is an RA at the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C.

Rhea Manekia ’12 has been working at RISIL, a subsidiary of Standard & Poor’s. Next fall she will be enrolled in the London Business School’s Masters in Management propgram.

Gauri Subramani '12 is the Special Assistant to the Chief Economist and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Office of Economic Policy, U.S. Department of the Treasury in Washington, D.C. She is the 4th consecutive Wellesley alum to hold that position, after Lisa Abraham '10, Rakeen Mabud '09 and Paige Shevlin '06. Dana Lee '13 is working at Capital One.

Melda Salhab ’13 is working as a Business Analyst with Deloitte Consulting in Abu Dhabi. She plans to begin the Urban Economic Development program at University College London in fall.

Victoria Udom ’13 is an analyst in the Asset Management division of JP Morgan.

Rena Yang '13 is working at Cornerstone Research in NYC.