Economics excellence award named for former professor | UPDATED

Professor of Economics Emeritus Alton Law was recognized by his faculty colleagues with the naming of an award in his honor to be given annually to the top senior Economics student. Law taught Economics for 34 years until his retirement in 2000, serving as department chair from 1978-2000.

The announcement of the Alton Dennis Law Award for Excellence in Economics was made by John Olsh, professor and current chair of the Economics and Business Administration department, at The Rembert Lecture in Enterprise Economics, which also featured a selection of senior honors projects and inductions into Omicron Delta Epsilon, the Economics honor society. McDaniel trustee Don Rembert ’61 of Rembert, Pendleton & Jackson financial advisors offered opening remarks.

Senior Economics and Business Administration students presenting honors theses (l to r, front row) Alexandru Condurache, Jennifer Garnett, Andrew Rauch, (back row, l to r) Robert Baker, McDaniel Trustee Don Rembert ’61, and Daylen Stoutin.

Jennifer Garnett is the first recipient of the Law Award as announced May 1 at the college Honors Convocation. The award replaces the Wall Street Journal Award, which the newspaper discontinued.

Seniors who presented their honors theses are:

• Andrew Rauch: “Reservation Restoration: A Look at American Indian Economic Development”
• Daylen Stoutin: “Candles, Collusion and Competition: An Economic History of the Spermaceti Trust”
• Alexandru Condurache: “Martingales & Optional Stopping Times and their Applications to Investment Strategies”
• Jennifer Garnett and Robert Baker: “Reconciling the Efficient Markets Paradox: Pitting Speculative Savvy Against Market Efficiency”

Watch a video of Garnett and Baker talking about their honors thesis here.