Recent news articles discuss the fierce competition among research universities for top talent in economics. This year our department and the university made an extraordinary effort to hire four outstanding young economists and to retain two top senior scholars. To succeed, however, we had to offer competitive salaries, support for summer research, and significant startup packages. Our dean is committed to offering competitive salaries. However, our department is required to provide most of the funding for summer support and startup packages. It is critical that we continue to make these contributions if we are to sustain excellence. For example, despite the rigorous content of our courses, economics is highly popular—with nearly 1,200 undergraduate majors and minors—and we teach far more student credit hours per faculty member than any other department at CU. We must recruit top faculty to meet these growing demands with a high-quality program.

Recognizing this problem, faculty members are stepping forward to meet this challenge with their own monetary support and, in consultation with the department’s advisory board, are creating a donor-sponsored fund designed to help us remain competitive in recruiting and retaining top faculty. The Faculty Enhancement Fund will provide sustainable financing for support packages, which tip the scales toward a successful search or retention—a key factor in a time of ongoing budgetary stress at CU. To achieve true sustainability, we need to establish a fund of $750,000.

We ask for your support in establishing and growing this fund, which is our top fund-raising priority. And, thanks to generous donors, the department has up to $150,000 in matching funds to get the Faculty Enhancement Fund off to a great start. Our department makes significant local, national, and global contributions through training, research, and outreach. Your support for the fund can make the difference in successful recruitment and retention for years to come. We urge you to contribute by sending a check (payable to the CU Foundation) or by visiting the CU Foundation secure website and donating by credit card. Be sure to indicate that your contribution is for the Faculty Enhancement Fund.

If you would like to learn more about this opportunity or to learn about other giving opportunities, please write, e-mail, or call us. Thank you for your continued support of the economics department and the University of Colorado.

Gift Card Form (PDF format)