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In Honor Of Rebecca Blank

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Rebecca Blank, former Northwestern Economics professor and president-elect, passed away on Friday, February 17, from cancer.

Dr. Blank served as a faculty member in the Department of Economics from 1989 to 1999. She also served as director of the Joint Center for Poverty Research and co-director of the Northwestern/University of Chicago Interdisciplinary Training Program in Poverty, Race and Underclass Issues. In October 2021, it was announced that Dr. Blank would succeed Morton Schapiro as president of Northwestern. She later stepped down as president-elect, following her cancer diagnosis.

Dr. Blank was an internationally renowned researcher on poverty and the low-income labor market. She served in three presidential administrations, most recently as acting Secretary of Commerce and Deputy Secretary of Commerce under President Barack Obama. Through her leadership, the Supplemental Poverty Measure was introduced, one of the most important developments in poverty measurement in decades. Her contributions to the field of economics and policy were recognized with a lifetime achievement award as a 2021 Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association.

Prior to being elected as the next president of Northwestern in 2022, Dr. Blank served as chancellor at University of Wisconsin–Madison for nine years. During her time there, she focused on improving educational outcomes and student experience, leading to her receiving the 2021 Posse Star award for her leadership in education and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. During Dr. Blank's tenure at UW-Madison, the university became one of the top ten public schools in six-year graduation rates. She led the university through both a complex political period and a global pandemic.

Our Department Chair, Professor Rob Porter, knew Dr. Blank closely: "I first met Becky when she was an Assistant Professor at Princeton. We became friends, and I was delighted when she joined the Northwestern faculty in 1989. She was an excellent colleague, as a scholar, teacher and advisor. She was also great company, taking delight in discussing economics, politics, culture or any number of other topics. But it was clear that she was destined for greater things. It was not a surprise when she left in 1999 to become the Dean of what became the Ford School at Michigan. Therese (my wife) and I remained friends with Becky and followed her subsequent career progression with pleasure and admiration. Becky could do it all; she was an accomplished academic, university administrator and public servant. She displayed an unusual combination of keen intelligence, organizational prowess and common sense.    

I agreed to serve as department chair again in part because Becky was slated to become President of Northwestern last September. Under her leadership, our department would have been well positioned to invest in its future. However, shortly after moving to Evanston last June, Becky learned that she had inoperable pancreatic cancer, and she stepped down from her role as president-elect. Therese and I were devastated, but we were able to see her several times before she passed away in February. We mourn the loss of our friend, but we continue to celebrate her accomplishments. We have found solace in the memories of our times with Becky and her family."

To read more about Rebecca Blank and her legacy, see the articles below: