Our Bureau
Middletown, CT
Raj Chetty was named an honorary degree recipient by Wesleyan University. He will be awarded the degree at the university’s 192nd commencement ceremony on May 26.
Alongside celebrating the student graduates of 2024, the Commencement Ceremony at Wesleyan University will honor the esteemed individuals, alumni, and faculty whose work and service has educated and inspired so many to action and toward creating a better world.
Raj Chetty is the William A. Ackman Professor of Public Economics at Harvard University. He is also the Director of Opportunity Insights, which uses “big data” to understand how we can give children from disadvantaged backgrounds better chances of succeeding.
Chetty’s research combines empirical evidence and economic theory to help design more effective government policies. His work on topics ranging from tax policy and unemployment insurance to education and affordable housing has been widely cited in academia, media outlets, and Congressional testimony.
Chetty received his PhD from Harvard University in 2003 and is one of the youngest tenured professors in Harvard’s history. Before joining the faculty at Harvard, he was a professor at UC-Berkeley and Stanford University. Chetty has received numerous awards for his research, including a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and the John Bates Clark medal, given to the economist under 40 whose work is judged to have made the most significant contribution to the field.
