Aric's Interests Page

About Me

My Story:

I am currently starting my sixth year at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. I've also been given responsibilities as Interim Dean of the Bill and Vieve Gore Picture of Dog School of Business at Westminster. I’m honored to be chosen to work with the outstanding faculty of the business school, and look forward to the challenges we educators face.

Prior to Westminster, I taught for a year at Clarion University of Pennsylvania and at Colorado State University. I received a Ph.D. in Economics while at Colorado State University in 1998, a Master's Degree in Economics from DePaul University in 1993, and a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Illinois State University in 1989. While at Colorado State, I chose information economics, international economics, and economic development as my areas of concentration.

I am originally from Illinois where most of my family still resides. I have four brothers and three sisters.

My Research Interests:

My primary interests lie in the area of technology -- information flows and changes to organizational methods, information infrastructure technology, and the globalization of multinational corporations.

Information Flows and Organizational Methods

I am very interested in how information changes the decisions people and organizations make. The falling cost of information is changing how corporations organize their operations and assets, how and where individuals choose to use their resources, and how governments provide services. Each of these phenomena has incredible implications for the organization of society over time.

Information Infrastructure Technology

One of the most amazing technological changes in my mind is the pace of change of information technology infrastructure. I am especially interested right now in the movement of networks to full optics.

Technological Change Cycles

Many suggest that we are currently in an information-driven technology cycle. It seems as if these cycles are quite often motivated by societal needs. I believe that we are about to enter an energy revolution that will drive economic growth for a while, just as information technology has 'driven' recent growth.

A very interesting and promising technology is fuel cells. This technology appears to be just a few years out of practical application as it is being tested and perfected in quite a few places. In its purest form, it takes hydrogen as fuel, produces electricity, and emits only water. It is far more efficient than any fossil fuel based energy form.

My Summer Vacation(s)

I have had plenty of opportunities to travel over the last several years. Two summers ago, I accompanied a class of students to South America in May/June, and visited corporations in Santiago, Chile, La Paz, Bolivia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. A very enlightening trip - - my heart especially goes out to our new friends in Buenos Aires. I also had the opportunity to teach a summer course in Bangkok, Thailand at the famed Chulalangkorn University. What a wonderful bunch of students! It was a unique opportunity. I also had opportunity to visit Chiang Mai, Thailand, the island of Samui, and Siem Reap, Cambodia, during my off-time. A few pictures follow.

Last summer, I enjoyed Amsterdam, Prague, Zagreb, and Budapest with another group of students. Witnessing the accession of these countries to EU while it was occurring was fascinating!

This fall, I hope to be going back to South America with a class sometime during the fall semester. This summer, perhaps Thailand again.