Dr. Elizabeth Gunderson has been appointed to be the Howard and Darrel Alkire Chair in International Business and Economics for a two-year term beginning this academic year. The Alkire Chair was established by Mrs. Darrel Alkire to support student learning in the areas of international business and economics, especially through the Alkire Symposium, Internships and Collaborative Research programs. 

Gunderson joined Hamline University in 1980 and was promoted to full professor in 1998.  She is a dedicated teacher and has taught numerous courses during her tenure, including decision sciences, operations management, statistics and marketing. Her specialty is econometrics – the most demanding and difficult course that economics students take. Her students consistently praise her effectiveness in explaining complex topics and her availability to work through their questions. They note that the courses she teaches provide them with the knowledge and skills to succeed in other courses and always are pleased with how much they have learned by the end of the semester. Currently, Gunderson is Chair of the Department of Finance, Accounting, Quantitative Methods and previously served two terms as Chair of the Management and Economics Department. She exemplifies the best of Hamline's faculty in her dedication to the personal and professional growth of her students as well as in her commitment to the school and university.