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Economics
Support WWU Economics Students with a Gift Today!

The Economics Department currently offers 7 different options under the Bachelor of Arts degree and two under the Bachelor of Science degree. In addition to the B.A. in Economics, we offer combined degrees with several other disciplines including accounting, environmental studies, finance, mathematics, political science, philosophy, and social studies. This academic year we launched a new Bachelor of Science in economics, and we reclassified the combined economics/mathematics major as a B.S. as well. This year we are offering just under 100 sections of economics courses ranging from ECON 101 to a wide variety of 400-level electives. These courses serve undergraduate general education requirements, foundation requirements for students in the College of Business and Economics, and our own majors. We currently have 18 active faculty in the department.

Professor Yvonne Durham


A degree in economics can lead to a variety of career paths. Western graduates in economics have found success in business, as advisors and researchers, as well as in education. Other graduates have gone on to professional schools such as MBA programs or law school. Employment as a professional economist often requires further study and many Western economics graduates have gone on to pursue a Ph.D. in economics or a related field.

An undergraduate degree in economics is a fantastic way to develop a solid foundation of critical thinking and analytical problem solving skills regardless of what field a graduate may choose later in life. Economics undergraduates often rank near the top in lists of best starting salaries and strongest return on investment for their degree.

We are identifying four specific areas of support for Give Day 2025

Prof. Dave Nelson 2022

After the retirement of long-time faculty member, Dr. David Nelson, he and his wife Lynne created the David and Lynne Nelson Scholarship endowment that supports economics students with scholarships. Additional donations towards this endowment will increase the amount of scholarship funds we can distribute to our majors for many years to come.

 Our second area of focus is the Paul Storer Memorial Fund. This fund honors the memory of our friend and colleague, Paul Storer, and supports annual talks by a scholar in US-Canada Economic Relations, as well as sending students to economics conferences (conference fees, lodging, transportation). Last year we welcomed Dr. Rashid Sumaila from the University of British Columbia for the Storer Lecture (click here to view a recording of the lecture).

Our third designated fund is the Economics Department Fund. Contributions to this fund provide support to faculty and students in the department by funding student events, hosting student club events and guest speakers, and providing our year-end awards for academic excellence.

Finally, our fourth designated fund Student Research in Economics was created to support students in their research efforts. This fund was seeded by a donation from Jim Lazar (WWU Economics ‘74) in 2024 and we hope to grow the fund to support an even broader range of student research projects and events.

$500
500th Donor Challenge!
Congratulations to IfeOluwa Akinrinade, our 500th donor who unlocked an additional $500 to the Eunice Segilola Akinrinade Scholarship!!
Completed
$500
1500th Donor Challenge!
Congratulations to Felix Gonzalez, our 1500th donor who unlocked an additional $500 to WWU Racing (Formula SAE)!!
Completed
$1,000
10th WWU Give Day. 10 donors. 10:10 pm.
Our first 10 donors starting at 10:10 pm on our 10th Give Day unlocked $100 each towards the area they chose to support. OUR WINNERS ARE: 1. Rene Vasa -- unlocked $100 for The Rage Magazine 2. Kathryn Hemmen -- unlocked $100 for Alpha Kappa Psi 3. Mackenzie Gerlach -- unlocked $100 for Women's Varsity Crew 4. Elena Korch -- unlocked $100 for Women's Ultimate 5. Joel Reitz -- unlocked $100 for Men's Rowing 6. Anonymous -- unlocked $100 for Alpha Kappa Psi 7. Perry Olix -- unlocked $100 for Men's Rowing 8. Sarina Freudmann -- unlocked $100 for Alpha Kappa Psi 9. Alexis Clark -- unlocked $100 for Women's Varsity Crew 10. Anonymous - unlocked $100 for Men's Rowing
Completed
Leaderboard
The Battle for Business!
Final results are in and the ranking stands! Congrats to Marketing, MSCM & Operations, and Accounting!
Rank Prize The Battle for Business Donors
1 $500 Marketing Program 67
2 $250 MSCM & Operations 41
3 $100 Accounting Department 35
4 International Business Program 22
5 WWU MBA Program 19
Show 4 More
Ended
Leaderboard
Lunchtime Crunchtime!
Thank you for participating! Final results are in! Congratulations to: Western Symphony Orchestra, Ice Hockey, and Men's Rowing!
Rank Prize Lunchtime Crunchtime Challenge! Donors
1 $1,000 Western Symphony Orchestra 51
2 $500 Ice Hockey 28
3 $250 Men's Rowing 26
4 AS Alpha Kappa Psi 9
5 Sailing Team 7
Show 5 More
Ended
$500
1000th Donor Challenge!
Congratulations to Tami Bloom, our 1000th donor who unlocked an additional $500 to Men's Rowing!!
Completed
$1,000
10th WWU Give Day. 10 donors. 10:10 am.
Our first 10 donors starting at 10:10 am on our 10th Give Day unlocked $100 each towards the area they chose to support. OUR WINNERS ARE: 1. Ryan Mueller -- unlocked $100 for Men's Rowing 2. Shelley Jepson -- unlocked $100 for Men's Soccer 3. Anonymous - unlocked $100 for Marketing 4. Victoria Steed - unlocked $100 for Marketing 5. Faye Witulski - unlocked $100 for Water Skiing 6. Anonymous - unlocked $100 for Hockey 7. Jennifer Trainum - unlocked $100 for the Donnellan Scholarships 8. Stephanie Grimm - unlocked $100 for the Behavioral Neuroscience Program 9. Reagan Billingsley - unlocked $100 for Men’s Rowing 10. Anonymous - unlocked $100 for the Sailing Team!
10 / 10 Donors
Completed
Success!
It's Give O'Clock Somewhere
Our random winners have been drawn. OUR WINNERS ARE: 1. Zach King -- $1k prize to Men's Soccer Scholarships, 2. Uche Ugwoaba -- $1k prize to the Uche Ugwoaba Men's Soccer Scholarship, 3. Teena Gabrielson -- $1k prize to College of the Environment Annual Scholarships, 4. Dean Potter -- $1k prize to Women's Volleyball Scholarship, and 5. Denise Eyler -- $1k prize to the Art and Art History Department Scholarship. Thank you for supporting student scholarships!
Completed
Leaderboard
Breakfast of Champions!
Thank you for participating! Final results are in! Congratulations to: Marketing Concentration, Western Welcome Scholarship and Western Hub of Living Essentials (WHOLE) Food Pantry!
Rank Prize Breakfast of Champions! Donors
1 $1,000 Marketing Concentration 17
2 $500 Western Welcome Scholarship 12
3 $250 Western Hub of Living Essentials (WHOLE) Food Pantry 11
4 Student Emergency Fund 7
5 AS Alpha Kappa Psi 6
Show 5 More
Ended
Leaderboard
Twilight Giving
Thank you for participating! Final results are in! Congratulations to: Ice Hockey, WWU Racing (Formula SAE) and Sociology!!
Rank Prize Twilight Giving Donors
1 $1,000 Ice Hockey 30
2 $500 WWU Racing (Formula SAE) 23
3 $250 Sociology Department 21
4 Men's Rowing 20
5 Western Hub of Living Essentials (WHOLE) Food Pantry 9
Show 5 More
Ended
Use #WWUGiveDay to join in the fun!
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Or you can contact us at forwestern@wwu.edu.