American Economic AssociationSummer Program

and Minority Scholarship Program

Duke University

Dr. Charles M. Becker, DirectorDr. Pietro Peretto, Associate Director

Dr. Rhonda V. Sharpe, Associate Director Ms. Gail McKinnis, Administrator

http://www.econ.duke.edu/aeasp

Key Characteristics

• Founded in 1974.

• Currently, approximately 36 funded students annually.

• 803 alumni 1974-2005.

• Emphasis is on encouraging underrepresented minorities to enter graduate programs in Economics and related fields.

Key Characteristics (cont.)

• Research Project focus, plus formal coursework in Economic Theory, Mathematics, and Econometrics. Courses receive regular Duke credit.

Two levels: Foundations and Advanced. Scholars may participate in two summers, either sequentially or with a break.

About two-thirds of recent cohorts are expected to progress to PhD programs; only about 10% will not pursue any post-baccalaureate higher education.

Key Characteristics (cont.)

Universities typically host the AEASP for three to six years. Previous hosts include:

University of Texas (Austin) YaleStanford NorthwesternTemple California (Berkeley)Wisconsin (Madison) Colorado (Denver)

Duke, the ninth host, has continued UCD’s partnership with North Carolina A&T, one of the nation’s leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Recruiting Participants

• Recruiting methods Mailings (posters and brochures), to:

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities

• Hispanic Serving Institutions

• Native American institutions

• Urban institutions

• Former Program host institutions

Campus visits by Director and Associate Director• 2004-05 and 2005-06 – 30 colleges and universities, from Vermont

to New Mexico

Referrals from Program alumni

Recruiting Participants (cont.)

• Recruiting methods (cont.) Faculty referrals

Web site (http://www.econ.duke.edu/aeasp)

• Program and scholarship description

• Eligibility and prerequisites

• Application and recommendation forms

• Instructional faculty

• Course descriptions

• Fields in economics

• Research papers

• Alumni news

Recruiting Participants (cont.)

• Recruiting methods (cont.) E-mails

Telephone contacts

Advertisements in AEA journals

Program Eligibility

• AEA Summer Program Open to all qualified applicants, regardless of race, ethnicity,

or gender

• Minority Scholarship Program Open to qualified US citizens, and Mexican citizens with

Permanent Resident status in the US

Preference given to members of racial or ethnic minorities historically disadvantaged in the US context

Prerequisites

• All participants: At least two years of undergraduate study No formal GPA requirement, but nearly all participants have a 2.75

or better GPA No age requirement (recent participant ages ranged between 19

and 35)

• Foundations Level A semester of statistics and/or econometrics, and a semester of

calculus Intermediate microeconomics or macroeconomics

• Advanced Level Three semesters of calculus or higher mathematics are required Two semesters of calculus, linear algebra, differential equations and

real analysis are encouraged

Characteristics of AEA Summer Program Participants, 2003-2005

Minority/GenderMales Females Total

2005 2004 2003 2005 2004 2003 2005 2004 2003

African-American 14 8 8 8 11 11 22 19 19

Hispanic 6 7 3 3 7 5 9 14 8

Native American 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2

Indochinese - American

3 0 0 0 3 1 3 3 1

Filipino-American 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Non-minority 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0

Total 27 15 12 12 21 18 39 36 30

Breakdown of Recent Summer Program Participants by Race and Gender

StanfordUniversity1993-1995

University of Texas

1996-2000

University of Colorado at Denver2001-2003

Duke University2004-2005

African American 14.3 9.2 18.0 20.5

Hispanic 10.3 8.8 9.3 11.5

Native American 0.3 0.6 1.7 0.5

Other Disadvantaged Minorities

0.0 0.0 0.7 3.5

Non-minority 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.5

Total 25.0 18.6 29.7 37.5

Female (percent) 37 41 47 44

(annual average number of Program participants)

Social Background Characteristics,2005 Minority Scholars

Yes No

Living independently of parents 21 9

Both parents living 21 9

Parents married (to each other) 12 18

Social Background Characteristics,2005 Minority Scholars (cont.)

Parents’ Education

Level Father Mother

> BA

BA

Associate degree/some college

High school

Elementary school

Elementary school/some HS

4

4

7

12

2

4

11

2

10

3

Social Background Characteristics,2005 Minority Scholars (cont.)

Parents’ Occupation

Father Mother

White collar

Blue collar/clerical

Retired/unknown

3

13

6

Schoolteacher

Nurse/ nurse’s assistant

Blue collar/clerical/sales

Homemaker

Other/retired/unknown

4

7

8

5

6

2005 Participants at the Fed

Recent Student Research Topics

• Crime

• Labor and social economics

• International economics and economic development

• Mexican-US economic links

• Urban economics, discrimination, and regional

economic development

• Financial and business economics

Data Sets Used for Research Projects

• National Longitudinal Surveys

• US Census data

• ENIGH (the Mexican National Household Survey)

• Panel Study on Income Dynamics

• National Educational Longitudinal Survey

End-of-Program Comments from 2005 Participants

• This will be the hardest decision in my life...I'm still weighing in the pros and cons. I will take the GRE and apply to a handful of programs and see what happens.

• I enjoyed the program and now want to enter a PH.D. program more than ever.

• I had never really considered a PhD in Econ until I came here, this program definitely persuaded me to pursue a PhD in Econ.

End-of-Program Comments from 2005 Participants (cont.)

• Economics is much more harder then I thought.

• The program helped me to see the value of a PhD in economics. It helped me to gauge why I was doing this, and it helped me to see, after the initial shock wore off, that indeed with much hard work, I can survive a rigorous program. I will get this Ph.D.!

• Before coming here I thought about a Ph.D. program, and now I am really considering continuing my understanding of economics, but first I must get more math!!!!!

2005 Answers to: What were the best parts of the AEA Summer Program?

• Great work environment and faculty. A very good experience as to what graduate school will be like.

• Learning new material - the encouragement and support from the professors to do your best - trip to DC (except the bus)

• Access to academic resources and support. -Financial support (I'm a NSF scholarship recipient) -DC Trip -Research Project

• The best parts of the AEA summer program were the fellowship with other like-minded minorities who shared similar goals and interests as myself. I was also very pleased with the access to the faculty.

2005 Answers to: What were the best parts of the AEA Summer Program? (2)

• The best parts of the AEA Summer program included the classes, participants, and advising sessions. The classes were rigorous enough to expose our weaknesses. The students in the program were very enthusiastic and shared knowledge on a regular basis. In addition, the advising sessions were very informative.

• The classes were extremely challenging but really succeed in stretching ones mind to its fullest limit. There is no greater joy than having to exercise your mind at that level. The opportunity to meet fellow students, Econ professors and everyone involved in the program was so gratifying. We learned and helped each other and of course challenge each other. What an experience looking back on it now.

2005 Answers to: What were the best parts of the AEA Summer Program? (3)

• The best part of the program, at least for me, was having the opportunity to be around such talented and like-minded individuals. The encouragement that I received from the program to pursue graduate study in Economics is priceless. It was great in that I really had a chance to get to know the program faculty in a very personal way. Just the sense of camaraderie among everyone, the competitive but team-oriented nature of the group work done with fellow classmates - it was a great experience!

2005 Answers to: What were the best parts of the AEA Summer Program? (4)

• The best part of the program was the pipeline conference and the trip to Washington D.C. Being able to see economists 'at work' really inspired me to work harder for a Ph.D. Most of the time in economics we lose sight of the big picture. The pipeline conference and the trip the D.C. enabled me to see the results of hard work. Also, having Dr. Sloan as a professor was really great. He was an inspiration.

2005 Answers to: What were the best parts of the AEA Summer Program? (5)

• Meeting other motivated and intelligent students who also feel strongly about economics. The preparation, as well as the trip to DC as well. The trip to DC was especially important because it allowed us to see how the policy world works. In conjunction with the pipeline conference, which seemed to focus more on academics, the trip rounded out the career possibilities quite nicely.

2005 Answers to: What were the worst aspects?

• Not enough time to do anything.

• Workload and long nights.

• The pace of the coursework and classes - competitiveness of the students - the concentration on grades and tests; I think the courses should be pass/fail!!!!!

• Not being able to enjoy the nice summer Carolina weather enough.

2005 Answers to: What were the worst aspects? (2)

• The workload and the juggling of the speaker responsibilities. There just isn’t enough time to focus on learning the material thoroughly. I am aware that that might be unrealistic due to the time constraint.

• The time constraint!!! Trying to study for three difficult exams in two maybe three days.

• The amount of work was excruciating and our minds were extremely challenged

2005 Answers to: What were the worst aspects? (3)

• I didn't get enough sleep during the past 2 months but it is well worth it.

• Highly difficult workload! The food...

• The worst aspect was the fact that the workload forced you to stay up a lot of nights. Though this was the worst aspect I don't think it should change because this program is designed to simulate graduate school.

2005 Participant Self-Predictions of Entering a Ph.D. Program in Economics

Of those in the category belowBEFOREHAND:

Number in this category AFTERWARD:

Total

Unlikely Somewhat likely Very likely Certain

2 6 14 15

Unlikely 5 0 2 2 1

Somewhat likely 12 1 0 8 3

Very likely 14 1 2 2 9

Certain 6 0 2 2 2

Progression to Doctoral Programs,AEA Minority Scholars, 2001-2005

Total number of participants, AEASP 2001-2005 132

Of whom: Entered PhD programs in Economics/related fields 5046

4Still enrolled or planning to re-enrollNo longer enrolled

Entered MA programs in Economics/related fields 323

1415

Currently applying to PhD programsEventual progression to PhD expectedPhD progression not expected

No graduate experience (undergrad or BA complete) 288

128

Currently applying to PhD programsEventual progression to PhD expectedPhD progression possible but not certain

Progression to PhD program not expected 22

Expected PhD program enrollment, AY 2006-07Eventual total progression to PhD (excluding those no longer enrolled)

5783 (63%)

AEA Summer Program Participants, 2001-2005,Progression to PhD Programs

in Economics or Finance

ProgramYear

NewStudents

Ph.D.Study

Universities

2001 29 14 DukeCalifornia (Berkeley)

Claremont Grad SchoolColumbia

Illinois

Jackson StateMichigan State

MarylandMinnesota

New MexicoNew SchoolSyracuse (2)

Texas

2002 24 14 ArizonaCalifornia (Berkeley) (2)California (San Diego)

Chicago (Finance)Colorado

Florida StateGeorgia State

MarylandMichigan State

Penn StateRice

Western MichiganWisconsin –

Milwaukee

2003 23 11 California (Berkeley)ColumbiaCornell

Georgia StateHouston (2)

Michigan State

Penn State (Demography)

Wisconsin-Madison (2)

Wisconsin – Milwaukee

2004 26 8 BrownCalifornia (Berkeley) (2)

California (Irvine)

California (Santa Barbara)

Duke

HoustonMichigan State

2005 31 3 Clemson Cornell Illinois

Total 132 50

AEA Summer ProgramSelected Prominent Alumni

Name Program & year Position

Warren Whatley Northwestern 1975 Professor of Economics and former Dean of the Graduate School, University of Michigan

Shelley I. White-Means Northwestern 1976 Chair, Department of Economics, University of Memphis

Lydia Ortega Northwestern 1977 Associate Professor of Economics, San Jose State University

Susan Collins Northwestern 1978 Associate Professor of Economics, Georgetown University;Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute; Visiting Researcher, IMF

Kaye G. Husbands Fealing Northwestern 1979 Associate Professor of Economics, Williams College

Emmett Carson Yale 1980 President, Minneapolis Foundation

Mercer Cook Yale 1980 Managing Director, North America Institutional Sales, Citigroup

Lucas Wilson Yale 1980 Assistant Professor of Economics and Afro-American Studies, Mount Holyoke College

Paul Bernard Yale 1981 Director of Planning and Development, City of Detroit, MI

Kenneth Daniels Yale 1981 Assistant Professor of Economics, Virginia Commonwealth University

Thomas H. Moore Yale 1981 Vice President, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter

Gregory Price Yale 1981 Professor of Economics, Jackson State University; Director, Mississippi Urban Research Center

AEA Summer ProgramSelected Prominent Alumni (cont.)

Name Program & year Position

Lisa Saunders Yale 1981 Associate Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts – Amherst

Darrell Gaskin Yale 1982 Associate Professor of Health Economics, Georgetown University

Philip Jefferson Yale 1982 Associate Professor of Economics, Swarthmore College

Cynthia McKinney Wisconsin 1984 U.S. Representative (D-Ga)

Carlos Ramirez Wisconsin 1985 Assistant Professor of Economics, George Mason University

Louis Thomas Wisconsin 1985 Assistant Professor, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania

William Rodgers Temple 1986 Associate Prof. of Economics, College of William and Mary;Chief Economist, US Department of Labor (2000)

Laurel Adams Temple 1987 Assistant Professor, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University

Vilna Simmons Bashi Temple 1989 Assistant Professor of Economics, Northwestern University

Seth B. Carpenter Temple 1990 Senior Economist, Division of Monetary Affairs, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

William Horrace Stanford 1991 Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Arizona

Gary Hoover Stanford 1992 Associate Professor of Economics, University of Alabama

Financial and In-kind Supporters: 2002-2005

Abt AssociatesAddison-Wesley Publishers

American Economic AssociationCambridge University Press

Citigroup FoundationCoors Brewing Company

Duke UniversityFederal Reserve Board of Governors

HarperCollins PublishersKazanjian FoundationLazarus Foundation

The John D. and Katherine T. MacArthur FoundationMBNA America Bank

McGraw-Hill PublishersMellon Foundation

MIT PressMoody’s Investor Services

National Economic Research AssociatesNational Science Foundation

North Carolina A&T State UniversityOxford University PressPrentice-Hall Publishers

Princeton University PressRAND Corporation

South-Western PublishersStataCorp

TownePlace Suites by MarriottUniversity of Colorado at Denver

Vectra Bank ColoradoW.W. Norton Publishers