Nationally recognized economist. Congressional witness. NASA employee. These can all be used to describe Creighton economics professor Dr. Ernest Goss, Ph. D.
Goss comes from humble beginnings in Emerson, Ga., where he spent the first 18 years of his life. His father was a construction worker while his mother was a homemaker.
After graduating from high school, Goss went to the University of South Florida where he majored in accounting and mathematics before earning his master’s degree in business administration at Georgia State University.
“Everyone kept telling me to choose something where I could make a solid living with a definite job opportunity,” Goss said.
Goss chose to follow his heart, not the money, and pursued his interests in economics. He went to the University of Minnesota Graduate School for economics before earning his Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee.
Goss is the current holder of the Jack MacAllister Chair, which was set up by Qwest Communications to do regional economic analysis to address economic issues relevant to the Midwest. Jack MacAllister was the CEO at the time.
Before Goss became so respected for his research in economics, he spent four years at the University of Alabama, two years at Salisbury University in Maryland and three years at the University of Southern Mississippi.
In 1992, Goss landed at Creighton after spending the previous two years working for NASA. He chose Creighton because it offered him the ability to do research, had a great reputation and academic quality.
“Part of the Jesuit values is excellence in education,” Goss said. “I was also attracted because of the broader community outreach.”
Goss currently teaches a macroeconomics class at the undergraduate level and two M.B.A. classes in addition to the research he does.
“He’s extremely smart and has great points of view on the world and economic issues,” Business senior Keith Weeces said. “He was the only teacher I’ve had at Creighton that when he entered the room, the whole room turned silent. I think some students who don’t know him are a little intimidated by him, but he’s very personable outside the classroom and is easy to talk to.”
When he is not in the classroom he spends time working on his current book, which will focus on economic developments in gambling. He has previously written two books, and he has also started four monthly economic surveys that help to see what is currently going on or likely to go on in different regions of
the country.
Goss also publishes his own monthly newsletter, which currently has around 7,500 monthly subscribers. He hopes to get that number up to 25,000 or 30,000.
“Dr. Goss is the most widely respected economist in the region,” Dr. Terry D. Clark, P.h. D, professor of political science and director of the graduate program in international relations, said. “He has put Creighton University on the map with the local business community.”
Goss spends a lot of his time doing 50-100 radio shows and a couple of TV spots per month. He hopes to continue to write books, do research and testify for possible economic policies. He also wants to work on consulting as well as teaching.
“[I plan to keep teaching] until they get tired of me, or until I get tired of them,” Goss said. “I enjoy bringing the dynamic nature of the economy to class and making it relevant to the classroom.”
Goss bases his economic principles off of Milton Friedman, whom he calls the “godfather” of conservative economics. He also looks up to former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan and Dr. John Taylor of Stanford.
He has now been married for 24 years and has two daughters, Jennifer, 34, and Melony, 32. He also likes to stay active by cycling
and running.
“I want to be remembered for making a contribution to the understanding of the United States’ and regional economies,” Goss said.