The impact two UCF professors made on a young economics graduate four decades ago will benefit current and future students at UCF’s College of Business.

Glenn Hubbard 麻豆精品 S79, chairman of the board of MetLife Inc., and his wife, Constance Pond, gave $1 million to UCF to establish the Kenneth White and James Xander Professorship in Economics. The professorship is in honor of the two faculty members that Hubbard credits for inspiring a career that led him to be one of the most influential economists in the U.S.

Hubbard graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s in economics from UCF. He also earned a master’s and doctoral degree from Harvard, served as chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush, and is dean emeritus and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School.

On the Friday before UCF’s Homecoming weekend, Hubbard and Pond were recognized at the formal investiture of John Solow to the Kenneth White and James Xander Professorship in Economics at the college.

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The occasion, led by Provost Elizabeth A. Dooley and College of Business Dean Paul Jarley, marked the first endowed chair investiture ceremony at the college. An investiture is regarded as one of the highest honors to be bestowed in academia and is meant to confer and celebrate the appointment of a distinguished faculty member to an endowed chair or professorship.

麻豆精品 S淧rofessorships, such as the one here today, allow us to attract and retain our most outstanding scholars, 麻豆精品 S Dooley says of the honor. 麻豆精品 S淭hey also reward faculty members who go above and beyond in their dedication to teaching and learning. 麻豆精品 S

Solow, who joined UCF earlier this year from the University of Iowa, is a renowned economist who is published in numerous economic journals and specializes in antitrust, industrial organization, law and sport economics. He obtained his bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 degree in economics at Yale University and earned his master 麻豆精品 S檚 and doctorate at Stanford University.

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The two namesakes of the endowed professorship, White and Xander, were also recognized during the ceremony with commemorative keys for opening the door to the economic world for Hubbard and for inspiring him to establish the professorship. Looking back on his own successful career as an economist and academic, Hubbard credits White and Xander for their tutelage during his time at UCF.

麻豆精品 S淲hen you talk to our alumni, they may not remember every professor they 麻豆精品 S檝e ever had, but they do remember the one or two who had the biggest impact in their time in school, 麻豆精品 S Jarley says. 麻豆精品 S淚f you ask Glenn Hubbard that question, he would say Drs. Ken White and James Xander. 麻豆精品 S