An annual update of the major occurrences in the MSAE program, our faculty, and the lives of our alumni. Fall 2015 Ten years ago the De- partment started the MSAE program with the purpose of bring- ing a quality graduate program to our best undergraduate stu- dents. One of these students was Brent Bartsch. Brent stood out as he was some- one who loved to discuss economics, poli- tics, and just about anything else for hours on end, which I would refer to as “Bartsching”. As a new faculty member here at UND, it was fun to interact with someone who was so passionate. Brent unexpectedly passed away in July, while teaching in China. He will be missed by his family, friends, and those he taught while in China. I would like to think that part of his legacy is the continued success of our program and our MSAE graduates. His classmate and friend, Kristofor Paulson provides a nice story that epitomizes Brent. (p. 5) Prof. Goenner [email protected]FEATURES DIRECTORS REPORT Fall 2015—Economics Outlook Page 1 MSAE Thesis Awards P. 2-3 Faculty Profile—Prodosh Simlai P. 4 Remembering Brent Bartsch P. 5 Research Seminar Series P. 5 Student Profile—Colin Mummery P. 6 Alumnus Profile—Charles Denowh P. 7 Research Spotlight—Internaonal Maers P. 8 Recent Graduates P. 9 Applicaons 62 Acceptance Rate 69% Online Students 86% GRE Math Score* 62 nd percenle GPA* 3.30 2015 MSAE Class Profile *Median of admied students
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An annual update of the major occurrences in the MSAE program,
our faculty, and the lives of our alumni. Fall 2015
Jessica Clark is no stranger to hard work. As an economics student at the College of Saint Benedict, Clark ran cross country and track, while also serving as the president of the Economics Club. After earning her undergraduate de-gree, Clark knew she wanted to learn more about the fast-paced world of Economics.
“I knew I wanted a master’s degree and specifically one in
Economics because I wanted to gain the more advanced
quantitative skills needed to succeed as a business econo-
mist/analyst,” said Clark. “I had already worked as an ana-
lyst for a few years and saw first-hand that there was a
huge demand for people with high-level analytical skills.”
She quickly found that UND’s MSAE program was a perfect
fit for her.
With flexible course options and small class sizes, the
MSAE program allowed Clark to take classes part-time
while she was employed at UnitedHealth Group.
“I love that UND structured their program so that working
students could complete their degree in a reasonable
amount of time,” said Clark. “I also like the small class sizes
and the fact that there were traditional students in class,
so online students were mixed-in with the traditional aca-
demic environment.”
Clark chose to pursue the thesis track of the MSAE pro-
gram, which involves an extensive final research compo-
nent.
In her usual fashion, Clark tackled this task head-on and
was assigned Dr. Xiao Wang as her advisor.
“Xiao was incredibly helpful with my thesis,” said Clark.
“She was extremely supportive and encouraging, and
pushed me to produce something valuable.”
Her thesis, titled “The Effects of Income Inequality on Soci-
ety,” examined the relationship between income inequali-
ty and the health of citizens at the county level. It was se-
lected as the top one in the class based on a series of crite-
ria which included: clarity of writing and organizational
style, scope and significance of work, contribution to the
discipline, and overall substantive quality.
Clark’s well written thesis was honored with the MSAE Dis-
tinguished Thesis Award and she received $750.
“Jessica is very passionate about her research,” said Dr.
Wang. “She is also intelligent and hardworking. Jessica is
able to quickly understand my suggestions and work
through them. She has developed an excellent thesis.”
Allyson (Bender) Thompson, an analyst at FI Consulting in
Washington, D.C., was one of three MSAE alumni panelists
who judged the student theses. She also had high praise
for Clark’s work.
“Her topic was well chosen and prevalent. As the income
gap in the U.S. continues to increase, the impact this phe-
nomena has on health indicators can add value to the dis-
cussion on the accessibility of healthcare in the U.S.,” said
Thompson.
Clark’s experience with the MSAE program has already
helped her in her career as a Healthcare Economics Con-
sultant at UnitedHealth Group in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
“In my coursework, I used the statistical programs STATA
and R, and was able to almost immediately apply them on
the job to the benefit of my team,” said Clark. “I hope to
become a higher-level analyst and I know that the skills I
learned in the MSAE program will be invaluable.”
Awards—Continued
Patrick Mobley, also from the MSAE program, earned high
honors for his thesis titled “Do men matter? A current
population survey study of characteristics affecting de-
layed fertility,” which focused on recognizing whether
male circumstances have a statistically significant effect on
fertility behavior. He was selected as the runner-up and
received $250.
Mobley started the MSAE program in August 2011, while
he was working full-time for the United States Air Force.
“I decided to apply to UND’s MSAE program because of my
interest in Economics, and my knowledge that I would go
to a well-respected school with a developed online pro-
gram closely matching on-campus experiences,” said
Mobley.
Mobley was assigned Dr. David Flynn as his research advi-
sor. Together they closely examined the Current Popula-
tion Survey data to develop his thesis research.
“Dr. Flynn is a very intelligent and passionate instructor,”
said Mobley. “Much of the material he taught in class was
a motivating influence for my thesis topic.”
From his research, Mobley determined that just like wom-
en, men prefer childbearing at certain life stages and will
delay to maximize their own utility.
Currently, Mobley is working as a Research Data Analyst
for Allina Health, a large Midwest healthcare organization
in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He credits the MSAE program with equipping him with the
knowledge and credentials needed to succeed in his posi-
tion.
“The MSAE program taught me the skills I need to perform
replicable and rigorous research,” said Mobley. “In my cur-
rent job, most of the analytical methods are more epide-
miological in nature, and the MSAE program helped teach
me how to assimilate new methods quickly and resource-
fully.”
The MSAE program helped Mobley transition from the mil-
itary into a job that better aligns with his talents and inter-
ests.
He hopes it will help others do the same.
“I would recommend this program to anyone interested in
advancing their knowledge of applied economics and re-
fining quantitative skills,” said Mobley.
MSAE students can be assured that their hard work in the
program does not go unnoticed. The MSAE Distinguished
Thesis Awards recognize quality research and solidify the
knowledge and skills students acquire during the program.
“The award validates the high quality of the MSAE pro-
gram by showcasing the excellent work of current MSAE
students with MSAE alumni,” said Thompson. “It allows
alumni to see the quality of students that will soon be
looking to join the workforce, which could potentially lead
to networking connections favorable for students during
their job search.”
Fall 2015—Economics Outlook Page 3
Fall 2015—Economics Outlook Page 4
FACULTY PROFILE
Prodosh Simlai
My current research interests span several topics, includ-
ing econometrics of financial markets, investments, em-
pirical asset pricing with a specialization in the cross-