Front & Center: Easygoing GU professor Kevin Henrickson to speak at One Day University

It’s been said God invented economists to make weather forecasters feel good about themselves.

Or perhaps to give humorists an easy target.

But Gonzaga University professor Kevin Henrickson doesn’t fit the stereotype. He’s quick to admit when questions stump him, and is so easygoing that students have invited him back to their dorm to play video games.

Henrickson won his first teaching award while earning a doctorate at the University of Oregon, and several more since arriving at Gonzaga in 2006.

He will discuss “When rational people make irrational decisions” during the One Day University at the Spokane Convention Center on March 11. The other three presenters are from Yale, Columbia and Amherst College.

During a recent interview, Henrickson discussed working in a warehouse, cooking shows and what lies ahead for the U.S. economy.

S-R: Where did you grow up?

Henrickson: Just outside of Tacoma.

S-R: What were your interests back then?

Henrickson: Anything sports – still. I just ran my first half-marathon at Disneyland.

S-R: Did you have a favorite class in high school?

Henrickson: Math.

S-R: What career did you envision?

Henrickson: My family owned a dental supply company, so when I was 17, I started working summers in the warehouse, and figured I would eventually join the business.

S-R: Where did you attend college?

Henrickson: I earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Pacific Lutheran University, then went straight to graduate school at Oregon. I’ve been at Gonzaga ever since.

S-R: Was there a moment that changed the direction of your life?

Henrickson: By my junior year at Pacific Lutheran, I realized how stressful the dental business was for my dad. That’s when I began considering the life of an academic – the tradeoffs. You’ll never be rich, but there are other benefits.

S-R: Did you have a mentor?

Henrickson: Yes, in graduate school, and we’ve stayed in touch.

S-R: What wisdom stuck?

Henrickson: He was a big believer in the adage “work hard, play hard” – to always maintain balance in your life.

S-R: What memories from your early career stick out?

Henrickson: When I arrived here, I was just four years older than the seniors, and it felt odd that they would look at me as an expert.

S-R: Did any skills learned in the warehouse transfer to this job?

Henrickson: When I teach labor economics, I use that experience to give students insights about how hourly workers approach their jobs.

S-R: What’s some good advice you got about teaching?

Henrickson: “You don’t have to know the answer to everything.” Part of teaching is showing students how to go about finding answers.

S-R: Have student demographics changed during the past 11 years?

Henrickson: Yes. Econ has traditionally been a male-oriented field. It’s far closer to 50-50 now.

S-R: Did the recession have implications in your classroom?

Henrickson: Sometimes in class I approach things from a very theoretical, mathematical perspective. But when some students’ parents were losing their job, their home, that gave me a deeper appreciation for the recession’s real-world implications.

S-R: How has technology affected the field of economics?

Henrickson: The talk I’m giving at the One Day University wouldn’t happen without technology. Only in the last 20 or 30 years have economists been able to test some theories that have been around for more than a century.

S-R: Will your One Day U talk on behavioral economics differ from how you might teach the topic to Gonzaga graduate students?

Henrickson: If I were doing it for students, it would probably be spread over several classes. The audience at One Day U are people with a passion for learning in snapshots instead of diving deep into the intricacies of the research.

S-R: What do you hope they take away from your presentation?

Henrickson: That we need to come up with better ways to convey information on everything from restaurant menus to company-sponsored retirement savings plans.

S-R: What do you like most about your job?

Henrickson: I love working with students day after day. Each group has its own dynamic. Every time I think I’ve heard all the questions, someone comes up with a new one.

S-R: What’s been the biggest surprise?

Henrickson: How comfortable I am teaching. Growing up, I was very anxious about public speaking.

S-R: How would you describe your teaching style?

Henrickson: Incredibly informal. I don’t care if people get up and leave, have cellphones go off. These are young adults. When I go into other professors’ classrooms to observe, I’m amazed how many insist that students raise their hands and address them a certain way.

S-R: What do you like least about your job?

Henrickson: Telling students who say they’ve never seen anything but an “A” that they’re getting a “C” is difficult. I say, “It’s OK – a ‘C’ is a fine grade. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. You’re still passing the class.” But, particularly in the last five years, I’ve almost had to become a counselor.

S-R: Any favorite student reactions?

Henrickson: About 10 years ago, I had a student who struggled in my class. On the back page of his final exam, he wrote, “Thank you for the way you structure your class. I’m embarrassed by my lack of effort. But it showed me if I want to do as well as I think I’m capable of, I have to work.” Just a couple of weeks ago I got an email from him wanting to touch bases.

S-R: What are you most proud of?

Henrickson: The way I’ve helped shape the curriculum. When I showed up, most of the faculty in our department were 55 to 70 years old, and they wanted to continue the way they were going. I helped push for a sustainable-business minor and classes in sport economics – things that really appeal to today’s students.

S-R: Your published articles tend toward topics such as “spatial market areas.” Have you considered writing about things that would be more at home in, say, Parade magazine?

Henrickson: I’ve toyed with the idea of self-publishing short books on Amazon. I tell my students that almost everything we do as economists they’ve known since they were in kindergarten.

S-R: What advantages are there to an academic career?

Henrickson: Flexibility. There are very few times I’m not at my kids’ performances, assemblies – those sorts of things.

S-R: How about disadvantages?

Henrickson: You have to be self-motivated, especially when it comes to research.

S-R: Anything you wish you’d done differently?

Henrickson: Born in the Northwest, went to school in the Northwest, work in the Northwest. I sort of wish I’d gone to college somewhere far away. I’ve traveled all over the country, but never truly lived someplace else.

S-R: What has this job taught you about yourself?

Henrickson: It’s not that I ever thought I was a jerk, but this job has taught me that I can and do care about just about everyone I encounter. There’s always some connection with every student I get to know – even those I seemingly have nothing in common with.

S-R: A physician informs his patient that she has only six months to live, and recommends she marry an economist. “Will that cure my illness?” the woman asks. “No,” replies the doctor, “but your last six months will seem much longer.”

Do economists deserve their reputation as boring?

Henrickson: (laughs) Probably on average, yeah.

S-R: What’s the typical response when someone learns what you do?

Henrickson: “Eeew. … Why would you want to do that?”

S-R: Question: How many conservative economists does it take to change a light bulb?

Answer: None. If the government would just leave it alone, it would screw itself in.

What do you think is in store for the U.S. economy during the next four years?

Henrickson: Oh, my goodness. With Trump, everyone is having trouble distinguishing between rhetoric and what he might follow through on. I think it’s going to be a bumpy time – highs and lows that we haven’t experienced recently. I expect him to stub his toe on issues where he doesn’t understand how politics work. But you generally don’t get that rich at business by being a complete moron.

S-R: What is your secret talent?

Henrickson: Very rarely can I not come up with an analogy to explain something to someone in a way that, regardless of their background, they get it.

S-R: What’s your greatest virtue?

Henrickson: Patience.

S-R: Guilty pleasure?

Henrickson: Cooking shows. And I’m not a cook.

S-R: What’s at the top your bucket list?

Henrickson: I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland.

S-R: You earned your Ph.D. at the University of Oregon, and teach at Gonzaga. If the two schools’ basketball teams meet at the NCAA tournament, who will you root for?

Henrickson: (laughs) Tough question. I don’t know the answer.

This interview has been condensed. Writer Michael Guilfoil can be contacted at mguilfoil@comcast.net