Sandra Odorzynski

Professor of Economics

B.S., University of Dayton 
M.S., Purdue University 
Ph.D., Purdue University 

Programs: Economics

Dr. Odorzynski has been at St. Norbert College since fall 1978, and is the first woman to achieve rank of full professor (1997). She has earned outstanding teaching awards at all three institutions of affiliation: Purdue University (graduate student award, 1973 and 1975); St. Joseph’s College, Rensselaer, Ind., 1978; St. Norbert College, 1982.

She finds teaching undergraduates at a small, liberal arts college to be the ultimate source of challenge, growth and professional satisfaction. She has taught long enough at St. Norbert to find daughters and sons of former students enrolled in her classes, almost every year.

Since 1995, she has been selected annually to join a national faculty team conducting training in market economics for teachers in emerging countries, through the Economics International program of the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE). Past and future seminar locations include: Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa and Ukraine. Since 2004, she has served as Chief Economist for the program, with responsibility for the economics content of the curriculum.

Recent publications: co-authored Focus: Globalization (2006) and Focus: Institutions and Markets (2003), both published by the National Council on Economic Education.

Current research focus: economic education in Eastern Europe and other emerging countries; curricular materials with global/international focus.

Sabbatical leaves: 

• 2000 (to research and assess the progress of economic education in Ukraine) 
• 1987 (to audit courses in comparative economic systems and global society at Northwestern University, in preparation for teach EC 370 at St. Norbert)

Personal: 
Married, empty-nester, with two married children, one grandson. Loves international travel, the great Northwoods of Wisconsin and spoiling the kids and grandson. Works hard at keeping ahead of old age (strength training) and plans to die healthy. Spicy food and red wine are simple pleasures enjoyed with regularity and moderation. Caught two muskies since 2001 and spends part of each summer hunting the next one. Euchre is her card game of choice.

Courses
ECON 102 Principles of Microeconomics 
ECON 252 Intermediate Microeconomics 
ECON 330 Labor Economics Abbreviation 
ECON 380 Managerial Economics 
ECON 370 Comparative Economic Systems 
ECON 391 Public Finance