April 19, 2012 by Janet Perez, NMSU News Center
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The Domenici Institute has awarded its first round of fellowships to seven faculty members at New Mexico State University. They will begin their work this summer. Front row, left to right, Harikumar Sankaran, associate professor of finance; Daniel S. Scheller, assistant professor of government; and Julie Steinkopf Rice, assistant professor of sociology. Back row, left to right, Violeta Diaz, assistant professor of finance; Larry Tunnell, professor of accounting; and Anthony “Tony” Popp, professor emeritus of economics. Not pictured, Christopher A. Erickson, associate professor of economics. (Submitted photo)
The Domenici Institute for Public Policy has awarded its first round of fellowships to seven New Mexico State University faculty members.
The Domenici Institute was established on the main campus of NMSU in 2009 and seeks to be a regional leader in the area of public policy analysis. To that end, the institute developed the Domenici Fellows Program to provide financial support for researchers who are conducting specific directed research in areas of strategic interest to the institute. The fellowship program eventually will bring researchers from around the state and nation to NMSU.
“The research projects that our Domenici Fellows will be addressing reflect the issues retired Sen. Pete Domenici continues to work for, such as economic development based on innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as the federal budget and U.S.-Mexico border relations,” said Garrey Carruthers, dean of New Mexico State University’s College of Business and director of NMSU’s Domenici Institute.
Domenici Fellows are expected to produce peer-reviewed journal articles discussing the outcome of their fellowship research, as well as presenting their work at either a Domenici Forum or a conference in their discipline. Each fellow also will write a policy white paper summarizing the outcome of his or her work. The paper will be shared with policymakers and the public.
The initial group of Domenici Fellows will conduct their research over the upcoming summer session. Only NMSU faculty members were considered for the first round of fellowships, but for subsequent semesters the program will be accepting applications from faculty members at other universities. All successful applicants are required to be in residence at NMSU during their fellowships.
The summer 2012 Domenici Fellows and their projects are as follows:
- Christopher A. Erickson, associate professor of economics, will seek to estimate the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on local economic development.
- Julie Steinkopf Rice, assistant professor of sociology, will examine how individuals seeking to start their own business are utilizing a community’s assets.
- Harikumar Sankaran, associate professor of finance, and Violeta Diaz, assistant professor of finance, propose to evaluate bi-national financing mechanisms that address the overall policy initiative to improve the infrastructural needs of the U.S.-Mexico border region.
- Daniel S. Scheller, assistant professor of government, will examine the effects that merging city and county governments has on economic development.
- Larry Tunnell, professor of accounting, and Anthony “Tony” Popp, professor emeritus of economics, will investigate the various effects of the domestic production activities deduction, including which industries are favored by the tax incentive and which states are more affected by it.
For more information, visit http://domenici.nmsu.edu.