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KNOXVILLE – Gregg Rader, a junior in economics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was recently selected as one of the twelve finalists in Pearson’s Insider contest. The Bearden High School graduate will be attending the exclusive National Economics Insider Symposium (NEIS) this June in Washington, DC.

The Insider contest, which was open to college students enrolled in an economics course this spring semester, asked for solutions on how we can change our economy for the better. The twelve finalists were chosen on April 15th based on the strength, feasibility, and creativity of their ideas and overall clarity of their proposed solution.

“Gregg’s insight is that we have instituted reforms aimed at incentivizing teachers and school systems to pursue academic excellence in the classroom. Why not incentivize students?” said Marianne Wanamaker, assistant professor of economics and Rader’s nominating instructor. “His proposal contains a detailed plan for achieving excellence in the classroom by incentivizing student achievement. I’m very impressed with Gregg’s work on this project and believe he shows great promise as a future economist.”

Along with their nominating instructors, the finalists will be guests of Pearson at the second annual NEIS. In addition to competing for the contest-winning title of Future Economics Insider, the students will also have the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with some of Pearson’s renowned economics authors during the event.

Pearson, a global leader in education, technology, and services, is a partner in education with many of the world’s leading economic authorities, including Paul Krugman of Princeton University, recipient of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics, Glenn Hubbard, Dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, Frederic Mishkin of Columbia University, Karl E. Case, emeritus professor of Economics of Wellesley College and founding member of Fiserv Case Shiller Weiss Home Pricing Index, Daron Acemoglu of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Olivier Blanchard of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and currently chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, John List of the University of Chicago, and David Laibson of Harvard University.

For more information on NEIS, visit http://www.pearsonhighered.com/neis2011/.

CONTACT:

Marianne Wanamaker (865-974-3303, wanamaker@utk.edu)