Alumnus donates scholar programme to Victoria University

A Victoria University alumnus has made a substantial donation to establish a Visiting Scholar Programme at Victoria’s School of Economics and Finance.

Professor Stephen Turnovsky, a distinguished international scholar and researcher in economics, completed a Bachelor of Arts in economics at Victoria in 1962 and a Masters of Arts with First Class Honours in mathematics in 1963 before completing a PhD in economics at Harvard.

Professor Turnovsky says: “I have been fortunate to have a successful career and for that I owe a great debt to Victoria for the start that it gave me.”

“Much of my career has involved joint work, which is how the economics profession has been evolving over the past 20 years or so and which I personally have found very rewarding. So part of my motivation is to facilitate that kind of development at Victoria.

“My hope is that Victoria will bring out interesting scholars from abroad resulting in productive interaction with people here, including collaborative research.”

Professor Morris Altman, Head of the School of Economics and Finance is excited about the research that will come out of the new programme. “The programme will contribute to the enrichment and intensity of research activity in our school,” he says.

The programme has been established through the Victoria University Foundation. The first Stephen Turnovsky Visiting Scholar will take up the position in mid-2012 for a period of one to two months. Funding will cover return airfares, accommodation and other expenses.