November Meeting - Eye on the Global Economy
Dr. William. A. Christiansen is the Finance Department Chair at Florida State University College of Business. He oversees the operation of the largest major in the College of Business and at Florida State University (finance). He also serves as the Director of the BB&T Center for Free Enterprise and the MBA Program Director. His is also the Interim Department Chair of the Department of Accounting.
He earned his B.A. in Economics and Asian Studies at Brigham Young University, his M.S. in Economics and Business at Brigham Young University, and his Ph.D. in Economics and Finance at the University of Utah with emphasis on Financial Institutions and Markets.
Christiansen has served as the Chair of the Finance Department since 2005. During his tenure as chairman, the department has raised funds for two research centers, an academic and corporate speaker series, a student investment fund, a trading room, and an annual conference. In addition, under his direction, the department has started a new Master of Science in Finance Program and has revised the Doctoral Program in Finance. Prior to becoming the Chair of the Department, he was the Ph.D. Program Coordinator in Finance for 12 years. He has also served on numerous committees and performed many special assignments in academics, industry, and government.
Christiansen has published articles in the areas of Bank Asset and Liability Management, Bank Regulatory Policy, Pension Fund Management, Bank Runs and Failures, Macroeconomic Policy Issues, and various economic performance issues. He also has been a consultant, a speaker, and an instructor in executive programs to various associations, companies, and universities in the areas of Global, U.S., and Asian Economic Performance, the Economics of Education, the Florida Economy, Monetary Policy, and Commercial Banking Issues. He made over 30 presentations in 2012.
Christiansen has taught a variety of courses at Florida State University, including a doctoral seminar in financial institutions, MBA courses in business conditions analysis and economic policy, and undergraduate courses in financial institutions and markets, commercial banking, and special topics in finance and economics. He was honored with the 2008 Florida State University Distinguished Teacher Award, the first time a faculty member in the College of Business had been given this prestigious teaching award. In addition, he has been awarded the MBA Professor of the Year Award seven times, the University Teaching Award three times, the Florida State University Guardian of the Flame Award in 2008, and the Christopher C. Campbell Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012.