Fahima Aziz is a professor in the department of management and economics at Hamline University, and the chair of the environmental studies program. She was named the Howard and Darrel Alkire Endowed Chair in International Business and Economics at Hamline University in 2000. She teaches courses in micro- and macro-economic theory, research methods, labor economics, managerial economics, and environmental studies. Aziz’s research interests include the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, micro-credit organizations in the U.S., poverty and income inequality, gender and race in the labor market, the relationship of health to labor productivity, and environmental economics. Aziz is on the Board of Trustees of St. Paul Academy and Summit School and a Board Director of Park Midway Bank, St. Paul, Minnesota. She is a member of the Board of Directors and a past President of the Minnesota Economic Association. She has earned many awards, and among those are Hamline University’s Best Advisor of the Year (1999), Burton and Ruth Outstanding Teacher Award (2001), the John Wesley Trustee Award for Outstanding Faculty (2004), and Student Congress’ Faculty of the Year Award (2005). Aziz was recently named an American Council on Education Fellow for 2007-08. She earned a B.A. from Mount Holyoke, an M.S. from the University of Massachusetts, and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, all in economics.
Fahima Aziz's Acceptance Speech:
Good Evening. Thank you, Rushik, for your kind introduction.
What an honor it is for me to be standing in front of alums—an indispensable part of any strong institution, especially alums of our Hamline University. I am flattered beyond belief to receive this award. Thank you, Alumni Association, and thank you from the bottom of my heart to those alums who have nominated me. I accept this award on behalf of all my esteemed colleagues who deserve this award as much as I do!
What a stunningly impressive attendance we have tonight and I am truly proud to be in your company. I have with me tonight eighteen of my recent graduates - students who graduated since 1997 to 2007 - and of course, ‘recent’ is meant relatively to the class of 1957 who is celebrating their 50th reunion! Will you please join me in welcoming my recent graduates?
It’ll be almost impossible for me to collapse in just few words the totality - the comprehensiveness of all your wonderful experiences. Instead, I’ll emphasize the values of Liberal Arts education and perhaps in this way one can see elements of commonality in our values and experiences that brought us all - faculty, staff and students to our Hamline campus and once again here on our campus tonight.
Liberal Arts education is a robust education that broadens and deepens knowledge. Liberal Arts education develops communication and analytical skills, critical thinking, moral and ethical intelligence, a deep sense of inclusiveness, life-long learners, and thoughtful minds that prepare our graduates for meaningful and purposeful lives. I am not at all surprised that our graduates want to make a difference in this world - they take risks, care about justice and diversity, and work toward an inclusive community - both globally and locally.
Dear alums, I am in awe of your awesome ability to do all of these. Thank you for your contributions for sustaining the exceptional enduring quality of Hamline’s Liberal Arts education. And thank you for continuing to strengthen your relationship with Hamline University.
Good night.
