University of St. Thomas - Department of Economics

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University of St. Thomas - Department of Economics

Welcome to the St. Thomas Economics page! Welcome to the University of St. Thomas Economics Department page.

The intent of this page is to share information regarding the department with current students and alumni, while also highlighting how economic ideas are pervasive in our everyday lives. Our "terms of use," to borrow from UST's official page: "Keeping with the nature of Facebook being an open interactive environment, we invite you to share, comment, and interact with our page. We

would like to remind you that we will not tolerate any solicitation or profane, vulgar, obscene, libelous or defamatory comments and remarks. We reserve the right to remove any content that we feel is not appropriate. We would also like to remind you that any content that you find on the University of St. Thomas page is the property of UST and is subject to all applicable copyright and trademark laws."

08/26/2026

The Purple Price Trackers are back!

Headed to the MN State Fair? Keep your eyes out for those purple shirts and stop by to say hello!

08/10/2026

Last month, Business Economics major Kathryn VanArragon became the fourth player to win three MGA Women's Amateur Titles! Her drive and desire for excellence are evident both in her work both on the green and in the classroom. Congratulations to Kathryn!

07/23/2026

This spring, Dr. Tyler Schipper’s Economic Inequality class visited George Floyd Square and Say Their Names Cemetery. Students witnessed how course content, including labor market discrimination, access to opportunity, and geographic segregation, translated into real-world neighborhood outcomes. Afterward, they were welcomed at Bichota Coffee to enjoy excellent coffee and debrief. After the visit, the class engaged in a challenging and nuanced conversation about what makes economic policy just and fair. This impactful learning experience was made possible through generous support from the Four Pillars Project at the University of St. Thomas.

07/16/2026

Last year, Prof. Tyler Schipper, along with 4 students, attended the Minnesota State Fair to research price increases over the years. The project was a great success, and I am very pleased to say that Tyler and a new team of students will be back again this year to continue the research! Keep your eyes open for purple shirts and stop by to say hello! Vuyolwethu Bell (UST), Kaylee Cantelon (UST), Hitanshi Gaudani (UST), Francis Pham (UST), Thuc Anh Nghiem (Katie, UST), Madhav Kumar (Blake School), and Mara D. (U of MN) are outstanding students. You will love meeting them.

06/18/2026

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.

06/15/2026

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!

06/11/2026

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!

06/05/2026

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.”

06/04/2026

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!

06/02/2026

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!

Address

2115 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, MN
55105

Website

https://linktr.ee/ustthomaseconomics

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