John and Hallie Quinn Eminent Scholar Mark Isaac, Ph.D., was awarded the inaugural Distinguished Service Award from the Economic Science Association (ESA) at their World Meeting on June 20, 2024.
ESA is a professional organization for economists and scholars who contribute to their field through controlled experiments. Economic experiments allow for a better understanding of economic variables that might not be observable in the field.
“Dr. Isaac is one of our very best faculty members, and I’m so pleased to see him receive this well-deserved honor,” said Tim Chapin, Ph.D., dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. “His research has shaped the field for many decades, and his commitment to serving the greater academic community through the Economic Science Association is admirable.”
The current President of the ESA is Charles Noussair, Ph.D., who notified Dr. Isaac of the award. The ESA’s Distinguished Service Award was created this year and is granted to one individual who has contributed significantly to ESA’s administration. Dr. Isaac was selected as the inaugural winner because of his 27 years of service as treasurer with ESA. He was chosen by a committee of three of ESA’s regional vice presidents and two members of the Executive Committee.
The 2024 ESA World Meeting was held between June 20 and 22 in Bogotá, Colombia. It was hosted by Universidad de los Andes and was the organization’s first conference in South America. Here, ESA members honored Dr. Isaac’s role in the organization’s success.
Dr. Isaac served as treasurer of The ESA from its founding in 1985 to 2012. He is an alum of Georgetown University, graduating with his B.S.F.S in International Economics in 1976. He then studied at the California Institute of Technology, graduating with an M.S. and Ph.D. in Social Science in 1978 and 1981, respectively.
Dr. Isaac became the head of the Economics Department at the University of Arizona in 1991 and served for seven years. He joined FSU as the Quinn Eminent Scholar and a Professor of Economics in 2001 and served as chair of the Department of Economics from 2012 to 2018. He has also made many contributions to economics research throughout his career.
For more information about the ESA, visit economicscience.org. For more information on FSU’s Department of Economics, visit cosspp.fsu.edu/economics. For more information about Dr. Isaac, visit myweb.fsu.edu/misaac.