Awards

Professor Smirnova Accepted to the Fulbright Specialist Program

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Professor Natalia Smirnova is accepted to the Fulbright Specialist Program, which was established in 2001 as part of the larger Fulbright Program.

A program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Specialist Program is a unique opportunity for U.S. academics and established professionals to engage in two- to six-week collaborative projects at institutions across the globe. By participating in the program, U.S. academics and professionals share their expertise, strengthen their home institutions by partnering with overseas counterparts, hone their skills, gain international experience, and learn about other cultures while building capacity at their foreign institutions.

Dr. Smirnova plans to engage educational institutions around the world in building a more informed citizenry and a better prepared labor force. She is excited to offer a variety of training activities, such as a series of seminars, master classes, and professional development workshops focused on economic education, financial literacy, and career readiness. At this stage, she is looking for an international partner to deliver proposed projects.

Dr. Smirnova will remain on the Fulbright Specialist roster until 2029.

Professor Delia Furtado Awarded Russell Sage Foundation Grant

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Russell Sage Foundation logoAlong with collaborators at Syracuse University, Johns Hopkins University, UC Merced, and Georgetown University, Professor Delia Furtado has been awarded a research grant from the Russell Sage Foundation.

The project, “Immigrant Labor, Staffing Shortages, and Job Quality in the Long-Term Care Sector,” examines how the availability of immigrant labor influences staffing shortages and working conditions in nursing homes—an issue of growing importance as the U.S. population ages.

Founded in 1907, the Russell Sage Foundation is a leading social science research foundation dedicated to strengthening research methods, data, and theory to better diagnose social problems and inform public policy.

Professor Langlois wins the Alfred and Fay Chandler Book Award

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The Corporation and the Twentieth Century book coverThe Harvard Business School Business History Review announces that Professor Richard Langlois has won the Alfred and Fay Chandler Book Award for his book The Corporation and the Twentieth Century: the History of American Business Enterprise (Princeton University Press, 2023).

2022-2024 Alfred and Fay Chandler Book Award

We are pleased to announce that Richard N. Langlois has won Business History Review’s 2022-2024 Alfred and Fay Chandler Book Award for his book, The Corporation and the Twentieth Century: The History of American Business Enterprise.

This award is given once every three years to the best book in the field of business history, published in the United States, as determined by a vote of the Editorial Advisory Board of Business History Review.

https://www.hbs.edu/businesshistory

The Corporation and the Twentieth Century also received the Alice Hanson Jones Prize from the Economic History Association, and was a finalist for the George R. Terry Book Award of the Academy of Management.

Professors Coşgel and Miceli Receive JEMAR Best Paper Award

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Congratulations to Professor Metin Coşgel and Professor Tom Miceli, recipients of the Journal of Economics, Management and Religion 2025 Best Paper Award for their paper:

Law and Morality: The Decisive Oath as a Means of Resolving Legal Disputes
Metin M. Coşgel and Thomas J. Miceli

Professor Tianxu Chen Recognized as a Distinguished Career Champion

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The Department of Economics is pleased to announce that Professor Tianxu Chen was recently honored as a Distinguished Career Champion at UConn’s 2024–2025 Career Everywhere End-of-Year Recognition and Celebration. This award, presented by the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills, recognizes faculty who demonstrate outstanding commitment to integrating career development into their teaching and student support.

As a Faculty Fellow with the Center, Professor Chen participated in the 2024 Summer Institute and implemented a series of career-focused assignments in her large-enrollment course, ECON 2441: Labor Economics, during both the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters. Her efforts included curriculum development, guest lectures, and a suite of career competency-based assessments designed to connect labor market theory with students’ professional development. Grounded in the NACE Career Competencies framework, the initiative received highly positive student feedback, with many reporting increased confidence in applying key skills in career preparation.

This recognition also highlights Professor Chen’s broader contributions through the department’s GA Training Program, where she mentors and prepares graduate assistants for effective undergraduate instruction. She is honored by this award and grateful for the opportunity to support student growth across both academic and career dimensions.

Econ major Andy Zhang inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society

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Excellence in liberal arts and sciences, a commitment to intellectual curiosity, and a relentless pursuit of knowledge—these are the hallmarks of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Today, we celebrate Andy Zhang, an outstanding economics and environmental sciences major whose dedication and brilliance have earned him a place among the nation’s most distinguished scholars. With a legacy that includes presidents, Supreme Court justices, and Nobel laureates, it represents the highest honor in academic achievement. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor! Read more: Junior Named Key Into Public Service Scholar – UConn Today

Andy Zhang '26 (CLAS) poses for a photo near Wilbur Cross on Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Professor Langlois Delivers the Eli Heckscher Lecture in Stockholm

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Photo of Richard Langlois, Economics Department Head

Professor Langlois delivered the Eli Heckscher Memorial Lecture at the Stockholm School of Economics on September 26, 2024, talking on the theme of the American corporation in the twentieth century.

The Heckscher lecture has been given annually since 2003 by a list of distinguished economists, including two Nobel Laureates. It is named in honor of Eli Heckscher (1879-1952), known to most economists for the Heckscher-Ohlin theorem in international trade, who was the founder of economic history in Sweden.

Professor Langlois wins the Alice Hanson Jones Prize

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The Corporation and the Twentieth Century book coverProfessor Richard Langlois has won the Alice Hanson Jones Prize for his recent book The Corporation and the Twentieth Century: the History of American Business Enterprise (Princeton University Press, 2023).

The prize, announced on September 7 at the 2024 meeting of the Economic History Association, the professional society of economic historians, is awarded every other year for an outstanding book on North American economic history.

The Corporation and the Twentieth Century was also a finalist for the George R. Terry Book Award of the Academy of Management.

Career Competency Innovation Award goes to Professor Smirnova

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Jim Lowe, Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of Career Center, presents the Award to Professor Smirnova
Jim Lowe, Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of Career Center, presented the Award.

UConn Center for Career Development hosted the 2024 Career Everywhere Recognition & Celebration Event on May 1, 2024. The event was filled with enthusiasm and camaraderie, fostering meaningful connections among Career Champions in attendance. There are nearly 1,000 dedicated UConn Career Champions (faculty, staff, and employers) who tirelessly support our students in their journey toward post-graduation success.

The nominations for several awards given by the Career Center were solicited from students, faculty, and staff. Professor Smirnova received the inaugural Career Competency Innovation Award.

Nancy Bilmes, Director of the Career Center, described Professor Smirnova’s innovations as aligning course syllabi with NACE career competencies, integrating career readiness modules across their courses on HuskyCT, designing assignments focused on career competencies, presenting at national and regional conferences, and conducting impactful research on the impact of career-focused assignments on students’ knowledge acquisition within their chosen fields. Natalia’s approach to embedding career development into her teaching not only equips students with essential skills but also demonstrates a commitment to fostering holistic growth and success beyond the classroom.

Professor Smirnova’s work on students’ career competencies’ development is documented in her teaching portfolio.

Professor Smirnova Receives Thomas E. Recchio Faculty Coordinator Award for Academic Leadership

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Logo of the UConn Early College Experience Program

Professor Smirnova was selected to receive 2024 Thomas E. Recchio Faculty Coordinator Award for Academic Leadership for her work with the Early College Experience Program.

This award recognizes a University of Connecticut faculty member serving as the UConn Early College Experience Faculty Coordinator for their discipline in an exemplary or unique fashion.

With over 50 UConn ECE Faculty Coordinators, there is a very competitive nomination pool every year, and the review committee is challenged to identify the top candidates.

In addition to day to day work of innovation, inspiring and empowering ECE Economics instructors at our partner schools throughout the state, and promoting University of Connecticut resources that enhance UConn Early College Experience, Dr. Smirnova received a very strong nomination from the ECE Economics instructor, Colleen Peling from William Hall High School in West Hartford, making it clear that Natalia was a top candidate.

Economics is the biggest UConn ECE cohort with 58 ECE certified Economics instructors representing 42 different partner high schools across the state.

The ECE Office and all ECE Economics instructors from UConn partner schools congratulate Dr. Smirnova on this respected professional achievement and commend her for the steadfast dedication to UConn, all ECE students and Instructors, and the UConn Early College Experience Program.