91ÅÝܽ

This month marks 60 years since the Department of Economics and Commerce first opened its doors as one of the founding departments in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) at 91ÅÝܽ.

In September 1965, under the leadership of founding head Parzival Copes, the department offered just five economics courses. The first faculty roster included four economists: professors Copes and William Scammell, along with instructors Michael Lebowitz and Dennis C. Mueller.

By the fall of 1967, course offerings had doubled and undergraduate enrollment had tripled to 1,615 students. With ten new economists hired that year, the department entered a period of expansion.

Some milestones from the years include:

1967: On May 20th, three economics graduands were among the twelve graduands in SFU’s first graduating class.

1974: Labor economist Sandra Christensen was the first woman hired by the department.

1981: Economics split from Business and became its own department within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

1990s: Four senior faculty members were hired: Curtis Easton, Richard Lipsey, Richard Harris and Nancy Olewiler and the department entered a strong period of research productivity.

1994: Construction of the West Mall Centre was completed and the department moved into its current home.

2002: Renowned scholar Arthur Robson joined the department as Canada Research Chair in Economics and Evolution.

2003: The Centre for Research on Adaptive Behavior in Economics (CRABE) was launched by professor Jasmina Arifovic. 

2007: Professor Jane Friesen created the Centre for Education Research and Policy (CERP) for researchers interested in issues related to education policy, in collaboration with the BC Ministry of Education.