The Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award from the Southern Economic Association annually honors one or more faculty members for outstanding contributions to economics education. Nominations for the 2020 awards will be solicited from economics department heads, from each institution in the southern part of the United States, in the spring of 2020. Nominees who are not selected are automatically placed in the pool of nominees for the subsequent year for a period of three years.
Ken Elzinga, Robert C. Taylor Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia,- first recipient of the Cavaliers’ Distinguished Teaching Professorship – is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished, effective, and influential educators in the economics profession during a distinguished teaching and research career at the University of Virginia, that has spanned over 35 years. Ken is creative and versatile in the classroom sharing his thoughts effectively with large groups of students studying the principles of economics, and using the Socratic Method, when working with students in a more advanced setting. He is a pioneer in the use of literature to explore economic reasoning which led to his writing murder mysteries that can be solved by careful economic analysis. Ken’s style of instruction and commitment to helping students develop an understanding of and appreciation for economic reasoning and insights serve as an inspiration for economic educators, so it is fitting for exemplary economic educators to be honored with an award in his name.
The winner for 2019 is:
- Dr. Patrick Conway
The winner was announced at the 2019 meeting of the Southern Economic Association® in Fort Lauderdale, FL on Sunday, November 24, and was awarded a plaque and a cash award.
Citation for the 2019 recipient
Patrick Conway
Patrick Conway (BSFS, Georgetown University, 1975; MA, Princeton University, 1979; PhD, Princeton University, 1984) is a Professor of Economics at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC.
Professor Conway has been on faculty and teaching at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 1983. Over the past thirty-six years, thousands of students have benefited from Professor Conway’s expertise in the classroom. He has taught courses in introductory economics, international economics, development economics and macroeconomics both to undergraduates and to graduate students.
Professor Conway is described as a “superb and innovative” instructor. Using the case study method to engage students in courses at all levels ranging from freshman seminar on “The Economics of North Carolina” to upper level field courses in international trade and development, he shows students how to solve real world problems using economics analysis. In recognition of his unique talent for finding the nexus of active-learning technique and real-world experience, he has won myriad awards including the William C. Friday/Class of 1986 Award in 2001 and the Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Professorship between 2007 and 2012.
Professor Conway is also a teacher of teachers. Just as his skill in the classroom enriched the experience of his students, his willingness to share his expertise on his campus an in the profession has enriched the teaching skills and experience of countless instructors. He was the founder and first Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence at UNC Chapel Hill. Nationally, he is considered an expert at applying the case study method in the economics classroom and has conducted related workshops at the AEA meetings and at the AEA Teaching Innovations Program. His advice on how to effectively use case studies has been published in The International Handbook on Teaching and Learning Economics and Teaching Innovations in Economics.
For his exemplary service in the classroom and to the profession, we are most pleased to honor Patrick Conway as the 2019 recipient of the Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award.
Past Recipients
| 2018 | Anthony M. Carilli (Hampden-Sydney College) |
| 2017 | Lee Coppock (University of Virginia) |
| 2016 | Tisha Lin Nakao Emerson (Baylor University) |
| 2015 | Leah Greden Mathews (University of North Carolina-Asheville) |
| 2014 | Peter W. Shuhmann (University of North Carolina-Wilmington) |
| 2013 | Gail Mitchell Hoyt (University of Kentucky) |
| 2012 | Michael K. Salemi (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) |
| 2011 | Richard V. Butler (Trinity University) |
| 2010 | Paul Grimes (Mississippi State University) Jill Caviglia Harris (Salisbury University) |
| 2009 | KimMarie McGoldrick (University of Richmond) |
| 2008 | Julie Heath (The University of Memphis) Charles Holt (University of Virginia) |
| 2007 | Richard J. Cebula (Atlantic Armstrong State University) |
| 2006 | Sheryl Ball (Virginia Tech) Stephen Buckles (Vanderbilt University) Russell Sobel (West Virginia University) |
| 2005 | Steven L. Cobb (University of North Texas) Tom McCaleb (Florida State University) |
| 2004 | Thomas J. Nechyba (Duke University) L. Wayne Plumly, Jr. (Valdosta State University) |
| 2003 | Craufurd Goodwin (Duke University) Dennis O’Toole (Virginia Commonwealth University) Jason White (Northwest Missouri State University) |
| 2002 | William Darity, Jr. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) William C. Wood (James Madison University) |