University of St. Thomas - Department of Economics

Mary March, Hanna Menth, and Willa Scharmer made up another one of our teams for this year’s DataCom. They presented their work, “Job Search Quality and Quantity Over Time”. They examined a timely issue that affects many students and job seekers, and the team did an excellent job communicating their findings. Congratulations on your hard work, ladies! Thank you as well to Dr. Matthew Kim for mentoring the team throughout the project.

What can corn dogs teach us about inflation? Economics major Kaylee Cantelon recently presented her research at the Inquiry Poster Session! She helped create the Minnesota State Fair “On a Stick” Index, a creative inflation measure based on the prices of iconic fair foods and other State Fair staples. Dr. Tyler Schipper said, “Kaylee was such an important part of creating the first iteration of the On the Stick Index. I'm super excited that she has decided to help lead the team again this summer to expand the project.” The team will be back at the Minnesota State Fair again this year, continuing to collect data and expand the project. Be sure to say hello if you see them at the Fair!

Congratulations to Connor Anderson, Claire Bymers, and Happy Phan for their participation in this year’s DataCom! They gave an excellent presentation on their research on “How do Working College Students Spend Their Time?", exploring a question that is especially relevant to many students today. Thank you to Dr. Darren Page for serving as their mentor!

For those who have been fortunate enough to take a class with Dr. Agapitos Papagapitos, you already know he is an outstanding teacher. What you may not know, however, is that he is also helping equip the next generation of educators to confidently bring economics into their own classrooms. In Econ 211: Current Economic Issues, he works with School of Education students to build both content knowledge and real teaching skills. Students don’t just learn economics; they practice teaching it. Each week, a team of two designs an engaging lesson plan on the previous week’s material and presents it to their peers, gaining confidence and receiving valuable feedback for revision. By the end of the semester, each student will leave with a general knowledge of key elements of economics and the beginnings of a well-polished portfolio. The experience and lesson materials make these students stand out in the job market. Thank you to Dr. Agapitos Papagapitos for the years of work you have put into empowering the teachers of tomorrow!

But don’t just take my word for it. Here is what some of his current students have to say:

Ariah Crosby: “Professor AP is phenomenal in providing answers to our questions as pre-service educators. He ensures that we’re equipped with the proper tools and materials to help students in the future navigate a world founded in economics.”

Daniela Dunn: “AP is an amazing teacher. He is very kind and patient, always willing to answer any questions we may have even if it takes extra time. He loves learning and getting input from his students to always improve his classes and teaching. Econ 211 has been so fun and educational, we have learned the best ways to teach challenging economic concepts, led by APs personal experiences he’s had teaching them. Because of that he gives great advice in building our lessons that we will take with us when the class is over.”

Evan Giesemann : “Working with AP this semester has been a great experience, and I have taken a lot from this opportunity. He has helped a lot with not only my understanding of economics but also how to teach it to students. Coming into this class, I was nervous because out of all the subjects, I am getting licensed to teach economics was the subject I had the least confidence in. So I am really grateful to AP for making this class for education majors like myself! He has given a lot of tips on how to not only understand the material but also make sure that our lesson planning is developmentally appropriate for our future students. For that, I will forever be thankful, and being in his class has been an amazing experience.”

At this year’s DataCom, Ryan Keller, Sam Norland, and Pete Rhodes presented their work “Changes in Social Preferences Pertaining to Covid 19.” Dr. Matthew Kim was their advisor for the project. Congratulations on your hard work!

Dr. Tyler Schipper, was honored with the USG Outstanding Club Advisor Award after being nominated by members of the Economics Club. Reflecting on the recognition, he said “This was a very kind gesture from the students, and I was a bit sheepish accepting it. The Economics Club leadership showed so much initiative and independence this year. I was mostly just a sounding board and occasional guest who showed up to geek out about economics in the news.”

Rakesh Dhiman, a co-president of the club, said, “Tyler has been awesome as an advisor. He is so knowledgeable on all the intricate inner workings of clubs at St. Thomas and stops at nothing to make sure students know about our events. Without him, our club would surely not be the same!"

Tyler, the department thanks you for your hard work and dedication to our students beyond the classroom. Congratulations on this honor!

The Opus College of Business Aristotle Fund is a real-world, student-managed investment fund with over $11 million and a unique learning vehicle for the University of St. Thomas students. This spring, Aristotle Fund students presented their work to the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees and, more recently, at the Fund’s Annual Meeting. There, they shared insights into the challenges they faced while navigating this past year’s market uncertainties.

This year, four students represented the Economics Department. Natalie Larson ‘26 (B.A. Economics, B.S. Finance), Noah MacDonald ‘26 (B.A. Economics, B.S. Finance, B.S. Accounting), Henry Pike ‘26 (B.A. Economics, B.S. Finance), and Joseph Schlitz ‘26 (B.A. Economics, B.S. Finance).

Thank you to Mary Daugherty, CFA, PhD, Deepak Chaulagai, CFA, and the mentors who provided guidance and support, making this experience possible.

We asked them each what the experience meant to them, and this is what they said:
• Natalie Larson “The Aristotle Fund helped me see how applicable economics is to real-world investing and decision making. Through the fund, I learned how economic trends, market dynamics, and industry conditions all influence how a company operates and is valued. The experience pushed me to think more critically and holistically, and it showed me how valuable my economics background was in building and understanding a strong investment thesis.”
• Noah MacDonald “Being part of the Aristotle Fund has been an incredible opportunity, and my economics education at St. Thomas has been foundational to my role. In today’s dynamic markets, where macro trends can quickly shift outcomes, the perspective and analytical skills I developed in class have been essential in shaping how I evaluate investments and manage risk.”
• Henry Pike “I appreciated the opportunity to apply skills learned in economics and finance classes over the past four years to evaluating individual companies and expressing broader market convictions in equities selected. Understanding macroeconomic systems and trends was critical throughout the experience, and the class provided an excellent chance to sharpen my own world views on all manner of industries. Working to understand how various sector allocations interact is critical to good portfolio construction.”
• Joseph Joseph Schlitz "As a student manager of the Aristotle Fund, I was able to apply both analytical and creative thinking skills learned through trial and error. Working with the other student managers has been quite an enjoyable and unique time, especially during contested debates over the selection of securities."

Congratulations to Orion Breitenfeldt, Elliot Daschner, and Jack Hartman on their great presentation at this year’s DataCom! Their work was titled “The Impact of Television on Sleep”.

Dr. Tyler Schipper, their faculty mentor, said, "I was stoked to have Jack, Elliot, and Orion participate in DataCom this year. They discovered what many teams do: that there is always more to explore when it comes to data. I hope to see them back at it next year!"

Congratulations to Elizabeth Marceille for achieving Summa Cum Laude! Elizabeth will graduate in May with a B.S. in Economic Public Policy and a B.A. in Political Science.

The title of her oral exam was “Policy, Inequality, and Famine in 18th & 19th Century Ireland: An Ancestral History Interrogated Through Interdisciplinary Analysis”, which she presented to an Honors Oral Examination Committee made up of faculty members David Gardiner (Irish Studies), Matthew Kim (Economics), and Tim Lynch (Political Science).

Matthew Kim said, “I was honored to participate in Elizabeth’s summa exam. Elizabeth is a thoughtful and intellectually curious student who takes great pride in her work. I am so proud of what she has accomplished at St. Thomas, and I know she will continue this excellence in law school and beyond.”

Congratulations on earning this honor!

We are so excited to celebrate Carly Pffefer, our incredible Economics student worker, as she prepares to begin Georgetown University’s Master’s in Financial Economics program this fall. She has been such a joy to have in our department. We have had the pleasure of working with her since her freshman year, giving us more time with her than we often get with our student workers. She is an impressive young woman; hardworking, eager to learn, and full of passion. It was no surprise to us when she announced that she would be graduating from UST a year early, with her sights set on grad school.

We asked Carly about how she's feeling about starting this new chapter: "I am excited to attend the Master’s in Financial Economics program at Georgetown University because it offers the perfect combination of rigorous academic training and real-world application. The opportunity to live and learn in Washington, D.C. is something I am super appreciative of, and I know the experience will foster academic, professional, and personal growth. I am also especially drawn to the program’s challenging curriculum and focus on quantitative analysis, financial markets, and economic strategy."

We would also like to thank Tim Spilde and Maria Vitale, who generously took the time to offer advice, encouragement, and mentorship throughout her graduate school journey. Your willingness to support our students and help shape the next generation of economists and leaders means so much to our department and students alike.

We are incredibly proud of Carly. She will be missed, but we cannot wait to see all she accomplishes at Georgetown and beyond!