Students, professor present paper at conference

 

From left, Emily Becker, Dr. Fadi Fawaz, and Kallie Merrill presented a paper recently at the Annual Meeting of the Missouri Valley Economic Association

Two Jamestown College business students and their professor recently presented a paper at a national economics conference.

Seniors Emily Becker, Bismarck; and Kallie Merrill, Buffalo, Mont.; and Dr. Fadi Fawaz, assistant professor of Business, Accounting and Economics, presented “Tourism and Economic Growth: A Worldwide Study” at the Missouri Valley Economic Association’s Annual Meeting held Oct. 28-30 in St. Louis.

Analyzing 25 years’ worth of data from 144 countries, the paper examines the effects of tourism on economic growth in seven regions around the world.

“Different regions have different magnitudes of tourism’s effect on economic growth, but tourism always has a positive effect,” Dr. Fawaz says.

The paper is being revised and will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals related to tourism and economic development. The students say the project has provided them with good exposure to the fundamentals of scholarly research.

“This gives us an outlook on how a part of the world is doing and how we can make a positive change with our conclusions,” says Merrill, a business and accounting major.

“It’s great to take ideas and apply them to real life, not just in a classroom setting,” adds Becker, a radiologic technology major pursuing a business minor.

Dr. Fawaz says conducting research and presenting findings is a valuable way for students to learn.

 “It’s important for the students to see that environment and to get that experience, academically and professionally,” he says.