Carleton College President Emeritus and professor of economics Stephen R. Lewis Jr. will be honored by Williams College at its annual fall convocation ceremony Saturday, September 8. Lewis is one of six recipients this year of the college’s Bicentennial Medals. Established in 1993 on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Williams College, the Bicentennial Medals honor members of the Williams community for distinguished achievement in any field of endeavor.
A specialist in development economics, Lewis has served as an economic consultant to the governments of Kenya, Pakistan and, since 1975, Botswana, where he has been instrumental in the country’s development. At the time of its independence in 1966, land-locked Botswana was among the world’s 20-poorest countries. Over the following three decades, its gross domestic product has grown at an annual rate of more than 7 percent—thought to be the highest in the world—as has its annual rate of job growth. He was awarded the Presidential Order of Meritorious Service by the government of Botswana in 1983.
Lewis graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams College and earned a doctorate in economics at Stanford University. He joined the Williams faculty in 1966, serving twice as Provost of Williams and as the Herbert H. Lehman Professor Economics from 1976 to 1987, before coming to Carleton College where he served as president from 1987 to 2002. The author of several major books and dozens of articles, Lewis was elected chairman of the board of RiverSource Funds, the Minneapolis-based mutual fund group, in January 2007.
Established in 1793, Williams College is a private liberal arts institution with graduate programs in the history of art and in development economics. Located in Williamstown, Mass., the undergraduate enrollment is approximately 2,000 students.
