Allen and Lee Sinai have given $1.5 million to name the Allen Sinai Professorship of Macroeconomics, which will be a joint appointment between the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Department of Economics in LS&A. The gift is part of the Presidential Donor Challenge issued by President Mary Sue Coleman to increase the number of endowed faculty positions across the U. of M. campus. Under the challenge, President Coleman will match $1.5M gifts with $500,000 to create an endowed professorship.
Dean Rebecca Blank said, "Endowed professorships are an important tool to help the Ford School attract excellent faculty. I am very thankful to the Sinai's for their gift to establish the joint professorship in macroeconomics. It will strengthen our faculty and, in turn, the education that we can provide to our students."
On making the gift, Allen Sinai said, "I have always been grateful for the outstanding education I received at the University of Michigan where I majored in economics and was exposed to excellent teachers, researchers, and contributors to macroeconomic policy. In establishing this professorship, I hope to ensure that U. of M. students continue to have access to talented researchers and educators in quantitative macroeconomics and economic policy, so important for the decisions at the federal and state levels that affect everyone's lives and economic well-being."
Allen is Chief Global Economist and President of Decision Economics, Inc. (DE), an economic and financial markets information support and advisory firm. He is an internationally known and respected macro economist and econometric modelbuilder who has contributed to applied macroeconomics, the public policy arena, and the academic literature. Over many years, his advice has been sought by both political parties, Congressional committees, and the Federal Reserve. Allen is a University of Michigan alum with a B.A. in Economics. He also received a Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University.