Professor vanWassenhove is an excellent instructor in the Economics Department of the University of Houston. The Economics department at the University of Houston has decided to not renew his contract for the upcoming academic year. Professor vanWassenhove has been a lecturer at the University of Houston for about a decade. In his time at the University, he has developed a reputation of being loathed or loved by students. The students who loathe him are the ones who attempt to pass classes without reading the book. They find that when the exam comes, his knack for creating the most difficult multiple choice questions does not allow them to succeed in a quest for an A. The other students who keep up with the text book are treated to a classroom instruction method that revolves around the socratic method. It is a discussion format where students and the professor engage in helping each other learn more about the material. Obviously the professor has a wealth of knowledge and experience with Economics that he uses to guide discussions in class.
As an aside, Professor vanWassenhove subscribes to a minority Economic tradition present period. He follows the Austrian Economics tradition. As such, he is a lone voice for this classical school of economic thought. If you are unfamiliar with the Austrian School, I suggest looking up Ludwig Von Mises, FA Hayek, Ron Paul, Tom DiLorenzo or many other popular and lucid economists from the tradition. If he is not retained on staff, there will be an entire vibrant economics tradition that will never be raised or taught about to thousands of students at the university. It is a shame that such a good and unique professor is having to fight for his job due to budget cuts at the University. I say let the school cut back somewhere else and not with excellent lecturing professors.
Updates
April 14, 2018
The momentum behind this is undeniable. It shows exactly how much his perspective is valued on campus.
25 Comments
Seems like everyone is trying to get rid of the professors that actually make students think. So sad.
disappointing- declining "Dr. Ross" is a declining UH economics department. as a graduate from UH Econ and former student of Dr. Ross, this is very disappointing.
The firing of Dr vanWassenhove is a true shame as he is one of the finest professors in the department. The fact that his firing is connected to ideological differences is even more shameful. It is important to have tolerance for heterodox views as no one school of thought has all the answers. The economics program will be diminished to the extent it excludes Austrian and free market voices.
As a city council woman, and business owner, I cannot overstate how important comprhension of Austrian Economics is in both public and private leadership. I hope that the university will consider the benefits and importance of a diverse and thorough curriculum.
Professor van Wassenhove is honestly the most engaging and knowledgeable professor I have encountered during my time at UH. He responds very well to questions posed in class, catering to the class dynamic rather than simply running through the material to keep to a schedule. He is one of my favorite three professors of all time, here or at any other institution.
We need different perspectives on campus
I have seen no evidence of a fireable offense.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Copy link or share directly
Professor vanWassenhove is an excellent instructor in the Economics Department of the University of Houston. The Economics department at the University of Houston has decided to not renew his contract for the upcoming academic year. Professor vanWassenhove has been a lecturer at the University of Houston for about a decade. In his time at the University, he has developed a reputation of being loathed or loved by students. The students who loathe him are the ones who attempt to pass classes without reading the book. They find that when the exam comes, his knack for creating the most difficult multiple choice questions does not allow them to succeed in a quest for an A. The other students who keep up with the text book are treated to a classroom instruction method that revolves around the socratic method. It is a discussion format where students and the professor engage in helping each other learn more about the material. Obviously the professor has a wealth of knowledge and experience with Economics that he uses to guide discussions in class.
As an aside, Professor vanWassenhove subscribes to a minority Economic tradition present period. He follows the Austrian Economics tradition. As such, he is a lone voice for this classical school of economic thought. If you are unfamiliar with the Austrian School, I suggest looking up Ludwig Von Mises, FA Hayek, Ron Paul, Tom DiLorenzo or many other popular and lucid economists from the tradition. If he is not retained on staff, there will be an entire vibrant economics tradition that will never be raised or taught about to thousands of students at the university. It is a shame that such a good and unique professor is having to fight for his job due to budget cuts at the University. I say let the school cut back somewhere else and not with excellent lecturing professors.
Updates
April 14, 2018
The momentum behind this is undeniable. It shows exactly how much his perspective is valued on campus.
25 Comments
As a U of H alumni I am distressed at the university’s reason for not renewing a professor’s teaching. I join others in asking for his contract’s renewal.
Seems like everyone is trying to get rid of the professors that actually make students think. So sad.
disappointing- declining "Dr. Ross" is a declining UH economics department. as a graduate from UH Econ and former student of Dr. Ross, this is very disappointing.
The firing of Dr vanWassenhove is a true shame as he is one of the finest professors in the department. The fact that his firing is connected to ideological differences is even more shameful. It is important to have tolerance for heterodox views as no one school of thought has all the answers. The economics program will be diminished to the extent it excludes Austrian and free market voices.
As a city council woman, and business owner, I cannot overstate how important comprhension of Austrian Economics is in both public and private leadership. I hope that the university will consider the benefits and importance of a diverse and thorough curriculum.
Professor van Wassenhove is honestly the most engaging and knowledgeable professor I have encountered during my time at UH. He responds very well to questions posed in class, catering to the class dynamic rather than simply running through the material to keep to a schedule. He is one of my favorite three professors of all time, here or at any other institution.
We need different perspectives on campus
I have seen no evidence of a fireable offense.
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 100 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
As a U of H alumni I am distressed at the university’s reason for not renewing a professor’s teaching. I join others in asking for his contract’s renewal.