Kenneth K.T. Louie, Ph.D.

Ph.D., University of Illinois (1987): Research and teaching interests include international trade and finance, labor economics, and economic development. He has received the Penn State Behrend Council of Fellows Award for Excellence in Teaching and was a Fulbright Lecturer in the People's Republic of China in 1998. Dr. Louie has consulting experience with GTE.

Dr. Louie is Director of the Economic Research Institute of Erie and Associate Professor of Economics in the Black School of Business at Penn State Behrend.

Teaching

• Visiting Fulbright Scholar to P.R. China, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. Spring semester 1998
• Visiting Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University - Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies, Nanjing, P.R. China. Academic year 1996-97 and Fall semester 1997-
• Recipient, Penn State Erie, Erie PA:
  • Council of Fellows Excellence in Teaching Award, April 1993.
  • Graduate Student Association Excellence in Teaching Award, April 1993.
  • Guy W. Wilson Excellence in Advising Award, April 1991

Teaching Philosophy

I believe that effective teaching can only occur when the classroom is viewed as the starting point for an intellectual endeavor pursued jointly by instructor and student that leads ultimately to learning and personal growth.

Since I believe teaching to be but a part of a larger joint endeavor, I try to foster a classroom environment in which both the teacher and the student accept mutual responsibility for learning. I believe that even the most gifted students will find it difficult to realize their full potential without guidance from an inspired and dedicated teacher who takes the full range of his instructional responsibilities seriously. At the same time, I believe that the most gifted teachers will be ineffective unless they foster a classroom environment in which students understand (and accept) their responsibility, as well as take the initiative, to be active learners and critical thinkers.

In order to foster an environment in which there is mutual responsibility for learning, I believe that each instructional strategy implemented by the teacher should promote a counterpart action on the part of the student.

While it is important to be enthusiastic in conveying the subject matter, it is perhaps even more important to instill in students a sense of excitement in learning a new subject that may fundamentally alter the way in which they view the world.

While it is important to convey the relevance of the subject matter, learning is enhanced when students are asked to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world situations.

While it is important to provide coherence and structure, it is crucial that students are encouraged to question and are led to appreciate the unresolved issues at the forefront of the discipline. This is the hallmark of critical thinking.

While it is important for the teacher to display a thorough command of the subject, it is imperative that students are challenged and given multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery, despite initial failure.

While it is important to guide students systematically through what, for them, may be a bewildering array of new concepts, it is necessary to stimulate them into taking the initiative to participate actively in the learning process, both in and outside of the classroom.

In short, an effective teacher is one who accepts, and at the same time inspires his students to accept, the important responsibility for learning in and out of the classroom.

Courses Taught

• B ADM 597A: International Issues
• B ADM 597B: International Economics
• B ADM 597E: China in the Global Economy: History, Culture, and Society
• ECNS 410: Economics of Labor Markets
• ECNS 501: Managerial Economics
• ECNS 597C: International Trade and Economics
• ECON 002H: Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy - Honors
• ECON 104 (formerly ECON 004): Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy
• ECON 104H (formerly ECON 004H): Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy - Honors
• ECON 302: Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis
• ECON 315: Labor Economics
• ECON 470 (formerly ECNS 470): International Trade and Finance
• ECON 473: China in the Global Economy: History, Culture, and Society

Research

• Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, nominee, September 1989

Service

Consulting

• Aalborg Industries, Erie PA, 2000
• GTE North, Inc., Erie PA, 1988-89

Participation in Community Affairs

• International Trade Committee, member, Erie Excellence Council, Erie Area Chamber of Commerce, 1989-
• Think Tank II. Participant, Erie Conference on Community Development, Edinboro PA, January 1988
• Task Force on Business, Jobs, and Economy. Appointed member, Erie Conference on Community Development, February 1988

Service to Business and Industry

• International Trade Committee, member, Erie Excellence Council, which, along with Congressman Tom Ridge, sponsored the conference "Exporting to Europe in the 1990s," May 1990

Service to Public and Private Organizations

• Scholarship Review Committee, member, National Security Education Program. Evaluated application from John Hurlburt, January 1999; Chris Cairns, January 2000

Participation in Seminars and Workshops

• Guest Lecturer for Dr. Saad Andaleeb's MKTG 445 - Global Marketing Class, "China in the Global Economy: Applications to Global Marketing," March 2011.
• Education Abroad Emergency Preparedness. Attendee, presentation by University Park staff, April 2010.
• The Impact of Education. Presenter to Erie Ambassadors, Erie PA, October 2009.
• Penn State College Teaching Workshops. Presented by Carla Torgerson, Center for Teaching and Educational Technologies, Penn State Erie, Erie PA: 
  • Engaging Students in Learning, Presenter, November 2008.
  • Is It Worth It? Tips from Faculty Members, Presenter, April 2005.
• Active Learning: Engaging Students in Regular and Honors Classes. Presenter, Faculty Luncheon Series, Penn State Erie, Erie PA, March 23, 2004.
• The Economic Way of Thinking/Economists’ Tool Kit of Ideas. Presenter, First Year Seminar, Black School of Business, Penn State Erie, Erie PA, Fall 2004.
• The State of the International Economy. Presenter, Economic Outlook Conference, Economic Research Institute of Erie, Penn State Erie, Erie PA, Fall 2004.
• Annual Economic Outlook Conference, Presenter, Economic Research Institute of Erie, Penn State Erie, Erie PA:
  • The World Economy, May 2004; May 2003.
  • The State of the International Economy. March 2002; March 2001.
• Seminar presented to faculty at Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies (Presenter):
  • The Effect of Diversification of Exports and Export Destinations on Economic Stability. Seminar presenter (co-authored with J. Kurre and M. Vidovic) to faculty at Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies, December 1996
  • Changes in China's "Revealed Comparative Advantage" in International Trade. Seminar presented to faculty at Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies, May 1997
  • The Relative Importance of Foreign Exports in U.S. State Growth. Seminar presented to faculty at Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies, December 1997

Speaking Engagements

• China in the Global Economy: Applications to Global Marketing. Guest lecturer, MKTG 445, October 9, 2008.
• U.S.-China Trade and the Impact on U.S. Manufacturing Employment. Invited presenter, Hopkins-Nanjing Center faculty seminar, May 2007.
• U. S. Immigration. MBA Networking Association, Penn State Erie, Erie PA, May 17, 2006.
• China as a Big Emerging Market. Guest lecturer, MRKTG 470, October 13, May 24, and March 15, 2005.
• The Economic Impact of the September 11th Terrorist Attacks. Manufacturer's Association of Northwest PA, Erie PA, October 2001
• Erie and the Global Economy. Manufacturer's Association of Northwest PA, Erie PA, July 2001
• The World Economy: Growth of Trade and Global Interdependence. First Annual Economic Outlook Conference, Economic Research Institute of Erie, Erie PA, March 2001
• The World Economy: Current International Economic Conditions. Americans for the Competitive Enterprise System, Erie PA, July 1999
• China and the World Trade Organization. Invited presentation to International Business English class, Nanjing University, Nanjing, P.R. China, December 1997
• Foreign Direct Investment in Guangzhou, China. Invited presentation at United States Information Service (USIS), U.S. Consulate Office, Guangzhou, P.R. China, April 1998
• The Effect of Export Destination on Export Stability. Invited presentation, Fulbright Guest Lecture Program, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, P.R. China, May 1998
• The International Trade and Economic Growth of States in the U.S. Invited presentation, Fulbright Guest Lecture Program, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, Dalian, P.R. China, May 1998
• The International Trade of the United States. Invited presentation, Fulbright Guest Lecture Program, Nankai University, Tianjin, P.R. China, June 1998
• China and the World Trade Organization: Issues and Prospects. Invited presentation, Fulbright Guest Lecture Program, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, Dalian, P.R. China; Zhongshan University, Guangzhou, P.R. China, May 1998; Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, P.R. China; Nankai University, Tianjin, P.R. China. June 1998
• International Economics: Theory and Policy. Invited presentation, Fulbright Guest Lecture Program, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, P.R. China, June 1998
• The Economic Outlook for 1999. With B. R. Weller and J. A. Kurre. Annual Business Rountable of the Manufacturer's Association of Northwest Pennsylvania, Erie PA, November 1998
• The Relative Importance of Foreign Exports in U.S. State Growth. Seminar presented to faculty at Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies, December 1997

Membership in Professional and Learned Societies

• Fulbright Association, 1999-.
• Southern Economic Association, 1987-88.
• International Trade and Finance Association, 1987-.
• Midwest Economics Association, 1987-90.
• Eastern Economic Association, 1986-89.
• American Economic Association, 1980-.

Research or Creative Accomplishments

• Senior Research Associate. Economic Research Institute of Erie, Penn State Erie, Erie PA. The institute will collect, analyze, interpret and disseminate data, information, and forecasts for the Erie, PA regional economy. Continuing research program will seek to help the local community better understand the regional economy and its linkages to the national economy. Compile data on the local economy from a wide range of sources, and helps local users access and evaluate these data. To provide students with relevant experience with applied economic research and data. 1984-.

Assistance to Student Organizations

• Guest Speaker for Delta Sigma Pi students, "Importance of Study Abroad and the China Study Abroad Program," November 2011.
• Club Adviser, International Business Club, 2011.
• Club Adviser, Global Business and Society Association, 2004-.
• Adviser, Asian Student Organization, 1994-95.