Debora Spar
Encyclopedia
Debora L. Spar is the current President of Barnard College
, a liberal arts college
for women affiliated with Columbia University
. As President of Barnard, she is also an academic dean
within the university. Spar and was appointed Barnard's 11th president in July 2008 and replaced Judith Shapiro
, Barnard's 10th president after a teaching career at Harvard Business School
where she was Professor of Business Administration and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development. After graduating magna cum laude in 1984 from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and earning her doctorate from Harvard in government, she went on to write 6 books and many articles.
She has appeared on 60 Minutes
, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer
, ABC World News Tonight, and in many newspapers and magazines. Her own articles have appeared in publications ranging from The New England Journal of Medicine to Foreign Affairs
to The Review of International Political Economy.
In 2001, she wrote an article called "Why the Internet Doesn't Change Everything" which described the distinctive nature of the internet industry. Her penultimate book, The Baby Business: How Money, Science and Politics Drive the Commerce of Conception, pioneered research about the economy of alternative fertility. Spar was the first academic to mention fertility as a transaction through a business framework.
In various interviews online, Spar said that when she picked up the research topic of fertility through an economic lens, her colleagues did not take her seriously and called her soft. She followed up in 2006 with a book named The Hidden Market for Babies.
Spar has also written about AIDS, African economics, the global economy, the balance of power, and terrorism.
A leading figure in business academics, Spar also ran Making Markets Work, joint program between Harvard Business School and the University of Pretoria
Gordon Institute of Business Science
. The course in South Africa teaches about the interconnection
of the public and private sectors' effects on economic growth
. Spar also spearheaded the initiative in Rwanda, where cabinet members learned about executive education
.
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
, a liberal arts college
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
for women affiliated with Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. As President of Barnard, she is also an academic dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
within the university. Spar and was appointed Barnard's 11th president in July 2008 and replaced Judith Shapiro
Judith Shapiro
Judith R. Shapiro is a former President of Barnard College, a liberal arts college for women affiliated with Columbia University; as President of Barnard, she was also an academic dean within the university. She was also a professor of anthropology at Barnard...
, Barnard's 10th president after a teaching career at Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
where she was Professor of Business Administration and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development. After graduating magna cum laude in 1984 from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and earning her doctorate from Harvard in government, she went on to write 6 books and many articles.
Leadership
During her inaugural address on October 23, 2008, Spar cited a number of goals for her term as President of Barnard College. Paramount were her desire to make Barnard a more internationally-recognized institution for women, as well as expand and improve the current Barnard Leadership Initiative (BLI). She followed up on this goal by converting BLI into Barnard's Athena Center for Leadership StudiesResearch and Academic interests
Spar has written about the economics of the human fertility industry and the evolution of the Internet. Her work on the economics of fertility drew wide attention.She has appeared on 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer
Jim Lehrer
James Charles "Jim" Lehrer is an American journalist and the executive editor and former news anchor for PBS NewsHour on PBS, known for his role as a frequent debate moderator during elections...
, ABC World News Tonight, and in many newspapers and magazines. Her own articles have appeared in publications ranging from The New England Journal of Medicine to Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
to The Review of International Political Economy.
In 2001, she wrote an article called "Why the Internet Doesn't Change Everything" which described the distinctive nature of the internet industry. Her penultimate book, The Baby Business: How Money, Science and Politics Drive the Commerce of Conception, pioneered research about the economy of alternative fertility. Spar was the first academic to mention fertility as a transaction through a business framework.
In various interviews online, Spar said that when she picked up the research topic of fertility through an economic lens, her colleagues did not take her seriously and called her soft. She followed up in 2006 with a book named The Hidden Market for Babies.
Spar has also written about AIDS, African economics, the global economy, the balance of power, and terrorism.
A leading figure in business academics, Spar also ran Making Markets Work, joint program between Harvard Business School and the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
Gordon Institute of Business Science
Gordon Institute of Business Science
Gordon Institute of Business Science is the business school of the University of Pretoria in Johannesburg, South Africa and a leading South African business school. It is located in the heart of Illovo, Johannesburg, close to the Sandton financial and commercial business hub...
. The course in South Africa teaches about the interconnection
Interconnection
In telecommunications, interconnection is the physical linking of a carrier's network with equipment or facilities not belonging to that network...
of the public and private sectors' effects on economic growth
Economic growth
In economics, economic growth is defined as the increasing capacity of the economy to satisfy the wants of goods and services of the members of society. Economic growth is enabled by increases in productivity, which lowers the inputs for a given amount of output. Lowered costs increase demand...
. Spar also spearheaded the initiative in Rwanda, where cabinet members learned about executive education
Executive Education
Executive Education refers to academic programs at leading graduate-level business schools worldwide for executives, business leaders and functional managers. These programs are non-credit and non-degree granting...
.
Books
- The Baby Business, Harvard Business School Press, 2006.
- Ruling the Waves: Cycles of Discovery, Chaos, and Wealth from the Compass to the Internet
- The Cooperative Edge: The Internal Politics of International Cartels
- Beyond Globalism: Remaking American Foreign Economic Policy