Honoree
Edward Lazear
Excerpts and Highlights from Nominations
Teaching
If you look at a PhD course schedule, you will not always find courses taught by Professor Lazear. In reality, Eddie is actively involved in PhD teaching. A few people have told me that they learned more economic intuition from Eddie’s reading class on labor economics than they learned from all other courses combined.
Eddie is a master teacher with a relentless but unaggressive style that drives home the finest points with great clarity. He is a man of integrity who combines his boundless energy with the most efficient time management skills I have ever had the pleasure of observing.
On Advising
I tremendously benefited from Eddie’s openness to new ideas and willingness to allow me to embark on research projects that are risky and far away from “mainstream research” and in particular, from his area of research.
Eddie is a wonderful role model. He is a source of inspiration for me and for many other people. Even a short conversation with him gives one an energy boost. He radiates positive energy and helps people realize their full potential.
What makes Professor Lazear exceptional is his commitment to full support of his students, from the early development stage of dissertation work to job search. I always got encouraged and inspired by our meetings. He would always find something new and suggest a promising direction of my work.
You can be confident that you can speak your mind with him and he will tell you what he thinks, no matter what. I have never felt so at ease with a faculty member as I am with him. He is going to tell you if you’re not doing well, but you can tell he cares and is willing to help you to achieve what he thinks you can do.
Though not my main advisor, he has done all that you can possibly ask, and more, to help me in my job search.
On Fostering a Scholarly Community
He is the glue that holds the GSB PhD Program together.
Eddie is one of the faculty members of the GSB who is willing to mentor not only his students but also any GSB student.
He organized a PhD reading group for everyone who wanted to translate “the things we read in the newspaper” into economic thinking.
Eddie’s presence makes the GSB a great place because it opens up possibilities for unorthodox research projects and greatly enhances the amount of academic freedom available to students. In my value system, freedom, including academic freedom, is the most precious gift.
Other Gems
It is unusual for a famous scholar like Professor Lazear to be so humble. It is telling that everybody calls him Eddie.
At Christmas, he gives gifts to the children of his students.
He has apologized when he could not spend a full hour to discuss my work.
When I passed the oral examination he gave me a bottle of champagne.
He is completely unselfish with his time and abilities. He is willing, if not eager, to allow his students to participate in his varied professional activities and decisions; he is open, accessible, and reliable and free from any hint of pretense. He is truly what a GSB professor should be to his doctoral students.
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