Resources

Below are the departmental learning goals mapped to College-wide goals for student learning.

Goals for the economics major:

• Understand how economic theories and models are formulated and appreciate their explanatory power. (Ia, IIb)
• Be able to use economic models to evaluate current economic issues and public policy. (IIa, IIb, IIId)
• Understand the role of historical and institutional context as conditioning policy-making. (Ia, IIa, IIIb, IIId)
• Support students’ growth in critical thinking and problem solving, including choosing appropriate models and understanding their limitations. (Ia, IIa, IIb)
• Understand the differing perspectives of economics and other social science fields. (Ic, IVa)
• Analyze economic systems in a cultural, global, and/or social justice context. (Ib, Ic, IId)
• Appreciate the impact of economic activity on environmental and ecological systems. (Ia, IIb, IIId)
• Appreciate the impact of economic activity on human well-being and welfare. (IIb, IIId, IVb)
• Learn how economists use quantitative approaches to measure economic outcomes and test competing theories. (Ia, Ic, IIb, IIIc)

Information literacy

• Use appropriate search methods to find existing economic literature; find and access current and historical economic data. (Ia, IIb, IIIc)

Visual literacy

• Use a variety of visual modes to display and communicate information about economic phenomena and relationships, including charts and graphs. Create presentations that effectively summarize research. (IIb, IIIc)

Technological literacy

• Be proficient in the use of STATA (or R) econometric software to describe and summarize data and to investigate hypotheses using a variety of methods. (Ia, Ic, IIb, IIc)
• Use appropriate data and empirical methods to evaluate economic research. (Ia, Ic, IIb)

Effective oral communication

• Explain, debate, and/or discuss models and economic phenomena. (IIa, IIc, IIIc).
• Work in groups. (IId)

Effective written communication

• Both descriptive and persuasive writing regarding economic phenomena, conditions, and policies. (Ic, IIe)
• Create new knowledge by identifying and formulating a question or series of questions about some economic issue that will facilitate its investigation. (IIa, Ic, IIId)

Omicron Delta Epsilon is an economics honor society that was initially formed in 1915 and became an international honor society in 1969. Omicron honors academic achievement in economics and encourages devotion and advancement in the field. The eligibility requirements include: (1) a strong interest in economics, (2) completion of at least four economics courses and a 3.6 or higher average in economics, and (3) a GPA of 3.6 or higher in all college courses taken.

Joining Omicron Delta Epsilon

Each spring, the Economics Department identifies students who are eligible for induction into Omicron Delta Epsilon based on their academic achievement in economics. Eligible students are contacted directly by the ODE Faculty Advisor, typically in February, with instructions for accepting the invitation and completing the national ODE registration process. The deadline is typically in early to mid-March.

2026 Omicron Delta Epsilon inductees

1. Alexander Liebson
2. Daniel Huh
3. Emma Staton
4. Emmett Leo
5. Grace Lazzara
6. Heyna Feskens
7. John Doyle
8. Justin Shafritz
9. Kamran Haq
10. Marah Frese-Despins
11. Peiliang Gao
12. Samuel Donohoe

Visit the Omicron Delta Epsilon website to learn more

Contact Skidmore's Omicron Delta Epsilon advisor, Marketa Wolfe, at mwolfe@skidmore.edu to learn more.

• American Economic Associate (AEA)
• Economist
• JSTOR

US National Economic Data

• Census Bureau
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• US Bureau of Economic Analysis
  

Federal Reserve Banks

• Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
• Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
• Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
• Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
• Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
• Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
• Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
• Federal Reserve Bank of New York
• Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
• Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
• Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)
• Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

NYS Government

• New York State Department of Labor Statistics
• White House (Federal Budget): Office of Management and Budget

Established in honor of William E. Weiss, father of Arturo Peralta-Ramos III ’74, and awarded in recognition of outstanding accomplishment by two majors or combined majors in the field of economics.

Winners 2026:

• Heyna Tayte Feskens
• Kamran Haq

 

The prestigious William E. Weiss Lecture, sponsored by Skidmore’s Economics Department, is made possible with the assistance of former trustee Arturo Peralta-Ramos III, a member of Skidmore’s Class of 1974. Named in honor of his stepfather, the lecture series fosters discussion of contemporary economic issues and the role of economics in all aspects of life.

Recent William E. Weiss Lectures
The Skidmore College Department of Economics hosts the William E. Weiss Lecture, featuring scholars whose work addresses important questions in economics and finance. Recent lectures have explored topics ranging from the changing nature of competition in digital markets to the role of money and credit in the global financial system.

• In March 2025, Qi Ge, associate professor of economics at Vassar College, presented “Algorithms, Platforms, and the Future of Antitrust.” An applied microeconomist specializing in industrial organization, behavioral economics, and labor economics, Professor Ge brought expertise in competition dynamics and market behavior to this timely topic.
• In April 2026, Perry Mehrling, professor at Boston University's Pardee School of Global Studies, delivered “A Money View of the Present Moment.” His lecture introduced the “money view,” an approach that emphasizes money and credit as interconnected promises to pay, offering a framework for connecting economic theory, financial markets, and real-world monetary practices.
  Together, these lectures reflect the breadth of contemporary economic inquiry represented in the Weiss Lecture series.