Ronald G. Ehrenberg
Encyclopedia
Ronald Gordon Ehrenberg is an American economist
and winner of the 2011 Mincer Award for Lifetime Achievement of the Society of Labor Economists. He has primarily worked in the field of labour economics
including the economics of higher education
. Currently, he is Irving M. Ives Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and Economics at Cornell University
. He is also the founder-director of the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute (CHERI).
) in 1966, an M.A. and
a Ph.D. in economics from Northwestern University
in 1970. After teaching at Loyola University
and University of Massachusetts
, he moved to Ithaca
in 1975 and spent rest of his professional career at Cornell University
. At Cornell, he is a faculty member in the department of labor economics in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and in the department of economics in the College of Arts and Sciences. He also served as the university's Vice President for Academic Programs, Planning and Budgeting (1995–1998) and an elected member of the Cornell Board of Trustees (2006–10). In 2005, he was named a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, the highest award for undergraduate teaching that exists at Cornell.
His more recent research has focused on higher education issues. In 1998, Ehrenberg founded Cornell Higher Education Research Institute (CHERI) to provide a vehicle for interdisciplinary research on higher education. CHERI's current research interests include "the implications of the growing dispersion of wealth across academic institutions, the growing costs and importance of science to universities, the financial challenges facing public higher education, the changing nature of the faculty, governance in academic institutions, improving PhD programs in the humanities and associated social sciences, improving persistence rates in STEM Field majors, and reducing inequality in access to higher education." Ehrenberg has served on numerous editorial boards and has been a consultant to many governmental agencies and commissions and university and private research corporations.
in 2011. In 2011, he was awarded Society of Labor Economist's Jacob Mincer Lifetime Achievement Award.
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and winner of the 2011 Mincer Award for Lifetime Achievement of the Society of Labor Economists. He has primarily worked in the field of labour economics
Labour economics
Labor economics seeks to understand the functioning and dynamics of the market for labor. Labor markets function through the interaction of workers and employers...
including the economics of higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
. Currently, he is Irving M. Ives Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and Economics at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. He is also the founder-director of the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute (CHERI).
Education
Ehrenberg received a B.A. in mathematics from Harpur College (now Binghamton UniversityBinghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
) in 1966, an M.A. and
a Ph.D. in economics from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in 1970. After teaching at Loyola University
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...
and University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
, he moved to Ithaca
Ithaca
Ithaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
in 1975 and spent rest of his professional career at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. At Cornell, he is a faculty member in the department of labor economics in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and in the department of economics in the College of Arts and Sciences. He also served as the university's Vice President for Academic Programs, Planning and Budgeting (1995–1998) and an elected member of the Cornell Board of Trustees (2006–10). In 2005, he was named a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, the highest award for undergraduate teaching that exists at Cornell.
Research
Ehrenberg has authored or coauthored over 145 papers and authored or edited 26 books. He has supervised the dissertations of over 40 Ph.D. students and served on committees of numerous students. He coauthored a leading textbook, Modern Labor Economics: Theory and Public Policy (10th edition). He was the founding editor of "Research in Labor Economics" and served as a co-editor of the Journal of Human Resources. He is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a Past President of the Society of Labor Economists. He is a Fellow of the Society of Labor Economists, a member of the National Academy of Education, and a National Associate of the National Academies of Science and Engineering.His more recent research has focused on higher education issues. In 1998, Ehrenberg founded Cornell Higher Education Research Institute (CHERI) to provide a vehicle for interdisciplinary research on higher education. CHERI's current research interests include "the implications of the growing dispersion of wealth across academic institutions, the growing costs and importance of science to universities, the financial challenges facing public higher education, the changing nature of the faculty, governance in academic institutions, improving PhD programs in the humanities and associated social sciences, improving persistence rates in STEM Field majors, and reducing inequality in access to higher education." Ehrenberg has served on numerous editorial boards and has been a consultant to many governmental agencies and commissions and university and private research corporations.
Selected Publications
- R. G. Ehrenberg (editor), "American University: National Treasure or Endangered Species," Cornell University Press, 1997.
- R. G. Ehrenberg, "Tuition Rising: Why College Costs So Much," Harvard University Press, 2002.
- R. G. Ehrenberg (editor), "Governing Academia," Cornell University Press, 2004.
- R. G. Ehrenberg, "What’s Happening to Public Higher Education?" Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007.
- P. E. Stephan and R. G. Ehrenberg (editors), "Science and the University," University of Wisconsin Press, 2007.
- R. G. Ehrenberg "Doctoral Education and the Faculty of the Future," Cornell University Press, 2008.
- R. G. Ehrenberg, H. Zuckerman, J. A. Groen, and S. M. Brucker, "Educating Scholars: Doctoral Education in the Humanities," Princeton University Press, 2010.
Awards and honors
Ehrenberg was given honorary doctorates from SUNY in 2008 and Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
in 2011. In 2011, he was awarded Society of Labor Economist's Jacob Mincer Lifetime Achievement Award.