Overton Summer Research Program in Economics
This program was created to honor Naomi W. Fredrickson Overton. Click here to learn more about this remarkable woman and her loving family.
The goal of these scholarships is to encourage advanced undergraduate students to pursue a graduate degree in economics. To this end, students will engage in full-time, faculty-mentored, economic research. This is an exciting time in Economics. There are many research issues that bear on important policy questions including: the risks of government stimulus programs, monetary policy and risk-taking, housing and home-ownership policy, financial regulation, sovereign debt issues, the detriments of excessive public debt, and economic development policy. Prospective students will be expected to submit proposals for original research. M.S. Economics faculty members will help students refine the research proposals so that the research can be reasonably completed in the time available. Students will collect and analyze economic data, write a paper describing their research and results, and give a formal presentation of their research to the CLU community.
Funding:
- A maximum of three Overton Summer Research Fellowships will be awarded each year.
- Each student will receive $11.50 per hour and will work 320 hours for a total of $3,600. Students will submit time sheets and will be paid biweekly.
Dates:
- Each Overton Summer Research Scholarship recipient will be expected to spend nine weeks at California Lutheran University.
- The program will begin May 21st and conclude July 20th.
Housing:
- Students can stay on-campus for $180/week. The OUR hopes to contribute to this cost - details of this support will be posted by mid-February.
- On-campus housing is shared housing with kitchen privileges.
- Meal plan is not required.
Who is eligible?
- All undergraduate juniors and seniors from an accredited university with an interest in pursuing an advanced degree in economics are eligible.
- An undergraduate degree in Economics is not required.
- A desire to pursue an advanced degree in economics is required.
Research
- Students will work closely with faculty to define the scope and nature of their research projects.
- Emphasis will be placed on research projects related to current policy issues.
- The choice of project will carefully consider time, data constraints and student preparation.
How to apply?
- Eligible students must submit the following information in a MS Word document to Kirk Lesh (klesh@callutheran.edu) by 5:00 pm on March 1. Students will be notified via email. The application document must include:
- Student Name
- Current academic institution
- Grade point average
- Previous research experience
- Research proposal
- A 1 - 2 page document describing the student’s interest in pursuing an advanced degree in economics.
- Two letters of recommendation from faculty members.
Outcomes:
- All students will finalize a written report that could be the beginning of research submitted for publication.
- All students will present their results at the conclusion of the program. A luncheon will be held to honor the students and their research.
