The Texas Economics Association Undergraduate Student Organization Fosters Engagement, Advancement and Community Spirit

For over 25 years, the Texas Economics Association (TEA) has helped students from the Department of Economics better engage in their academic and social experience here at The University of Texas.  TEA, a student organization sponsored by the department, has four areas of focus: professional development, community service, academic advancement, and social experience. The group holds weekly meetings with invited guest speakers, organizes intramural sports teams, hosts socials, and coordinates opportunities for members to volunteer around the campus and the city.

Last year, TEA students served as volunteers at the Longhorn Halloween in October and the Zilker Kite Festival in March, and the group brought its spirit of community service to the halls of the Economics Department to gather donations of unused textbooks for the Books4Cause Program. Frisbee and ice cream socials bring the students together, and the annual Professor Breakfast gives the students a chance to interact with the department’s faculty in a warm, informal setting.  TEA’s calendar of events mirrors the four pronged mission statement, filled with events to build community and help the community, as well as events to foster academic achievement and cultivate professional development.

In April, several TEA members were instrumental in planning a trip to send 15 students to the Economics Scholars Program, an undergraduate economics research conference held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.  Closer to home, TEA organized the Economics Company Night last October to educate students about the range of internships and potential careers available to them.  Company night, a free event open to all majors, was designed to introduce over 1600 economics students to opportunities in business, accounting, research, statistics, and economics.  Attendees were able to meet with representatives from a robust list of businesses, including: Capital One, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, campus2careers, New England Financial, MRE Consulting, Ltd., Sagepoint Financial, BBVA Compass, Environment America, Wells Fargo, car2go, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Building on last year’s success, TEA held the 2011 Company Night on Wednesday, September 7th.   In addition to many of the companies included in the 2010 event, TEA brought in Pariveda Solutions, LIM (A Morningstar Company), the Gerson Lehman Group, Clear Channel Communications, North Star Resource Group, Geico, & AXA Advisors, LLC for this year’s Company Night.

The well-rounded TEA philosophy has not been lost on its faculty advisor, Thomas Wiseman. Dr. Wiseman says of the group: “The great thing about the TEA is that they’re open to the whole range of what studying Economics can do for undergraduate students.  The group offers a great experience for students thinking about graduate school in Economics or a related field, for students who want to explore how a background in Economics can help them get a great job, or for students who just want to learn how to make sense of what’s going on around them.” 

For more information about the Texas Economics Association, visit: http://studentorgs.utexas.edu/tea/