News Briefs

Mark your calendar for March 19, 2009, when NABE will join with Select Greater Philadelphia as co-sponsors with Villanova University in hosting a half-day conference focusing on regional workforce issues.  The conference will take place on Villanova's campus, starting at 1 p.m. and finish with a reception at 5 p.m., according to Chris Swann, NABE member who is one of the organizers.  “This is a terrific opportunity for NABE to link directly on an event with the university, the Philadelphia Chapter, and the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce,” he pointed out.

The Professional Development Seminar will be held April 13-15 in Washington, D.C., next year.  Co-chairs of the PDS are former NABE President Rosemary Marcuss and Board member Paul Thomas.

The Get Connected mentoring program is up and running and is designed to help grow and support lasting professional relationships between newer and more experienced NABE members.  NABE has received applications from members with varying degrees of experience, from entry-level professionals to those with 40+ years working in the field of economics.  Not sure if you qualify as a mentor or mentee?  Apply to become both!  Get more information.

NABE members are encouraged to participate actively in the 2009 annual meeting in St. Louis, Oct. 10-13, by submitting a paper for the NABE Edmund A. Mennis Contributed Papers Award for papers published in Business Economics. There is a $1,000 prize for the best paper. By March 16, e-mail an abstract of no more than 250 words of a proposed paper (with no author identification) and a biographical sketch to Susan Doolittle, NABE executive director, at doolittle@nabe.com.  Topics should reflect original, unpublished research by the author on topics or in areas that would be of practical value to NABE members in fulfilling their job responsibilities. By April 20, a selection committee appointed by the BE editor will review the anonymous abstracts; up to eight abstracts will be selected. The guidelines for preparation will be the same as those for all manuscripts submitted to BE, they are printed in BE, and are available on the NABE website or on request from the BE editor.

NABE’s final survey of the year, the November 2008 NABE Outlook, has received outstanding media coverage since its Nov. 17 release, and continues to be mentioned in a wide variety of media outlets, according to NABE press officer Melissa Golding.  NABE President Chris Varvares of Macroeconomic Advisers discussed the survey in interviews with ABC Radio, Associated Press Radio, the Wall Street Journal Radio Network, CNN Radio, CBS Radio, CNBC, Bloomberg Television, Bloomberg Radio, Voice of America Radio, the Biz Radio Network (Houston-Dallas-Fort Worth), and KMOX Radio (the CBS Radio affiliate in St. Louis). Among the many media outlets that have published original reports about the survey are the Associated Press, Reuters, CNNMoney.com, Bloomberg News, BizJournals.com, MarketWatch.com, USA Today, CFO Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the British Broadcasting Corporation, Press TV (Iran), AHN, the New York Post, Economic Times (India), the San Jose Mercury News, the Richmond Times Dispatch, The Age (Australia), the News-Leader (Missouri), Smartmoney.com, Taipei Times (Taiwan), MauiTime Weekly (Hawaii), the Columbus Dispatch, the Christian Science Monitor, CNN International, the San Francisco Chronicle, InvestmentNews, the San Francisco Examiner, the Orlando Sentinel, Investment Markets (UK), the London Free Press (Canada), FinFacts Ireland, the Modesto Bee, CEP News (Canada), Journal des Finances (France), Jornal de Negocios (Portugal), AFP, Le Figaro (France), Invertia (Venezuela), Milano Finanza (Italy), and various news and business publications in China, Russia, and Spain.

Nominations are invited for the 2009 Julius Shiskin Memorial Award for Economic Statistics. The award is given in recognition of unusually original and important contributions in the development of economic statistics or in the use of statistics in interpreting the economy. Contributions are recognized for statistical research, development of statistical tools, application of information technology techniques, use of economic statistical programs, management of statistical programs, or developing public understanding of measurement issues. Individuals and groups in the public or private sector from any country can be nominated.  The award will be presented with an honorarium of $750 plus additional recognition from the sponsors. A nomination form and a list of all previous recipients are available on the ASA Website.  For questions or more information, please contact Steven Paben, Julius Shiskin Award Committee Secretary, via e-mail at paben.steven@bls.gov or phone at 202-691-6147.  Completed nominations must be received by April 1, 2009.