BY WAYNE LARSON
Capitol Federal Professor in Financial Markets and Institutions Robert DeYoung modestly claims he does the same things hundreds of other professors do everyday, but his efforts stretch further than many. DeYoung’s work makes an impact on national, regional, and local levels.
On a national level, DeYoung was recently appointed to be editor of the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking. “It is extremely flattering to be appointed to this position. This journal is the top field journal for academic research in banking,” said DeYoung. He has written for the journal for the past 20 years. “Now it is time for me to do the heavy lifting as one of the four editors,” he joked.
DeYoung’s regional impact can been seen through his work as a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He primarily works in the Economic Research Department and occasionally in the Bank Supervision and Regulation Department.
The professor’s local impact was felt at the Ecumenical Christian Ministry’s University-Community Forum program in Lawrence, Kan. on Sept. 2. He gave a presentation about the struggling economy and who is to blame for its troubles. “I have been giving presentations on the downturn in the economy since last fall,” said DeYoung. “People are interested in the topic for various reasons: the desire to have better public policy, their own experiences with banks, or they are just down right mad.”
After placing blame on America’s flawed housing finance policies in his recent public presentation, DeYoung received a barrage of questions from the intrigued audience. “I hope I can influence people through my writing and my speaking, so they can become invested in the issue and speak up about the topic themselves. It’s kind of grassroots,” said DeYoung.
DeYoung’s presence on the KU campus must not go without mentioning. He teaches classes that cover financial markets as well as commercial bank management. He says he has seen an increase in banking class student enrollment throughout the past two semesters because big banks have been in the news so frequently.
He has to play quite the balancing act between all of his jobs. “You work a lot more than 40 hours a week, that’s for sure,” he said. But, he says he loves what he does and that’s what matters the most. “I tell my students ‘Ignore salary, and find something you love to do.’”
