Professor Paul L. Joskow, head of the department of economics, was awarded the first Dean's Award for Distinguished Service to the School of Humanities and Social Science at a party in his honor held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston on May 8.
"I am honored to receive this award. I have been privileged to have the opportunity to lead the best economics department in the world and to work closely with Dean [Philip] Khoury, the department heads, faculty and staff in the School of Humanities and Social Science to strengthen the education and research programs in our School," Professor Joskow said.
Professor Joskow has been the head of economics since 1994 and previously served two terms as associate head of the department. He joined the MIT faculty in 1972 as an assistant professor, was promoted to associate professor in 1975 and professor in 1978. He held the Mitsui chair from 1989-95 and is presently the James and Elizabeth Killian Professor of Economics and Management. Professor Joskow also holds a joint appointment in the Sloan School of Management.
He received the BA in economics from Cornell University in 1968 and the MPhil (1970) and PhD (1972) in economics from Yale University. Professor Joskow's areas of expertise include industrial organization and government regulation of industry. He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has published three books and nearly 100 scholarly articles. Along with several colleagues, he is completing a book on the acid rain control program created by the Clean Air Act of 1990.
Dean Khoury presented the new Dean's Award in the form of a silver plaque. Professor Joskow will also receive a scholarly allowance of $10,000 in recognition of his contributions.
"No one in the School of the Humanities and Social Science is more deserving at this time of the Dean's Award than Professor Joskow," Dean Khoury said. "The Department of Economics remains the top-ranked department in the nation thanks to his tremendous efforts these past four years to keep it strong and robust.
"His department has benefitted greatly from his inspired leadership, and we who have worked closely with him recognize that it is his many creative actions and interventions that have positioned the department for the future," said Dean Khoury.
Dean Khoury cited Professor Joskow's "vital contributions to School Council" and his "clear and inspired vision for the social sciences at MIT as captured in the 1998 Joskow Report, much as his vision for the arts at MIT was captured in the 1987 Joskow Report���������������������������his service to the School of Humanities and Social Science has set a standard for future recipients of the Dean's Award."
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on May 20, 1998.
