About the Workshop

The Gus A. Stavros Centers of Florida State University and the University of South Florida invite you to participate in this fourth annual day-long workshop on the teaching of introductory economics at the college and AP level. This extraordinary workshop will feature three of the nation’s most creative and successful instructors of college-level economics: Russell Sobel from West Virginia University, Dirk Mateer from Penn State University, and Michael Cox from the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank. The conference registration fee of $50 includes breakfast, lunch and refreshment breaks.

Hotel Information

If you need hotel accommodations, we recommend Marriott Residence Inn Tallahassee at the Capitol, 600 W. Gaines St. Reservations can be made by calling 800/922-3291 or 850/329-9080. You must make your reservations by January 10, 2008 to receive the Stavros Center conference rate ($139).

Additional Information

If you have any questions or would like additional information, contact James Gwartney (Phone: 850/644-7645; email: jdgwartney@fsu.edu)

Workshop Schedule

About the Session Leaders

Dr. Russell S. Sobel is Professor of Economics and holder of the James Clark Coffman Distinguished Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies at West Virginia University. He has published over 75 books and articles, and coauthors the principles of economics textbook, Economics: Private and Public Choice. He recently published a book on West Virginia policy reform entitled Unleashing Capitalism that has resulted in meetings with his state’s governor and legislative leaders. His work on FEMA has been featured on the CBS Evening News, CNBC, and in the Economist magazine. Dr. Sobel was the founding Director of the West Virginia University Entrepreneurship Center where he started a student business plan competition and launched a new academic program for students. He serves on the advisory boards of five major professional and academic organizations. He has received numerous awards for both his research and teaching. Dr. Sobel is well-known for his innovative use of walkie-talkies in his large-lecture classrooms and his enthusiastic and example-filled teaching style. His recent work has focused on FEMA reform, state-level economic freedom, and entrepreneurship.

Dr. W. Michael Cox is Senior Vice President and Chief Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. He advises the Bank President on monetary and other economic policy. Cox is widely published in the nation's top academic journals. In his twenty-three years at the Fed, he has contributed to a number of public policy issues, and his research is frequently designated as required reading for Congress. He continues his battle with economic doomsayers by championing capitalism in his book, Myths of Rich and Poor, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. The media rely on Dr. Cox's ability to make plain sense out of difficult economic issues. He is a frequent guest on national radio, television and Internet programs, including ABC’s John Stossel program, CNN, Voice of America and National Public Radio. Dr. Cox is Past President of the Association of Private Enterprise Education, a CATO Institute Adjunct Scholar and Senior Fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis. He has taught economics at Southern Methodist University since 1985. His thirty years of university teaching include Virginia Tech, the University of Rochester and the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. G. Dirk Mateer has been teaching college economics for 16 years and he is currently a Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of the Undergraduate Studies Program in Economics at Penn State University where he regularly teaches large principles sections. He is the author of Economics in the Movies (Thomson/South-Western, 2005). He uses a variety of methods (film clips, music videos, songs, demonstrations, group work, and other active learning processes) to stimulate students to think about economics. Dr. Mateer brings a small class attitude to his large sections. As a result, his teaching efforts have been recognized by his students, colleagues and nationally on over a dozen occasions. He was the winner of the inaugural Economic Communicator Contest sponsored by the Association of Private Enterprise Education and the Market-Based Management Institute. Prior to joining Penn State, he taught high school math and science for two years and then worked at Goucher College (MD) and Grove City College (PA).