Mizzou Economics is delighted to welcome Dr. Nicolas Ziebarth as the Sam Cook Professor of Macroeconomics starting January 1st, 2025. Professor Ziebarth received his doctorate from Northwestern University in 2012 and has previously served on the faculty at the University of Iowa and Auburn University. Ziebarth specializes in empirical macroeconomics and economic history. Ziebarth is a leading scholar of the Great Depression and a National Bureau of Economic Research Associate in the field of Development of the American Economy; his work has been funded by several National Science Foundation grants and he has published over two dozen refereed articles in prominent scholarly journals, including the American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, the Journal of Economic History, and the Journal of Economic Perspectives. Dr. Ziebarth is currently Co-Editor of Economic Inquiry and a member of the editorial board for Explorations in Economic History.

The Cook Chair in Macroeconomics was established to honor the legacy of Sam B. Cook, longtime head of Central Bancompany in Jefferson City. Mr. Cook was born in Jefferson City in 1922 and graduated from Jefferson City High School in 1940.  Sam attended classes at the University of Missouri before joining the U.S. Army and earning the rank of Captain in the Third Infantry during World War II.  He then completed his undergraduate education at Yale University in 1948, with a B.A. and special honors in Economics.  Sam Cook began his banking career in New York City, and later returned to Jefferson City to join his father at the Central Missouri Trust Company.  He became president and chief executive officer in 1961; and was instrumental in forming Jefferson Bank in 1967 and Central Bancompany in 1970. Starting in 1981, Sam Cook was chairman of the board of The Central Trust Bank and Central Bancompany. Mr. Cook also devoted his energy to civic life and philanthropy; he served as chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the Jefferson City Housing Authority, was instrumental in starting the Jefferson City YMCA, and funded major healthcare projects, in addition to his support for several universities. Sam Cook passed in 2016 at the age of 94, but his legacy lives on in the lives of those who continue to benefit from his work and charity.

Sam Cook’s gift establishing the Cook Chair has enabled the Department to recruit a nationally distinguished scholar conducting research on macroeconomic issues in free market economies and who will teach special sections of introductory macroeconomics (i.e., Econ 1015H: Principles of Macroeconomics Honors).  Mizzou Economics is grateful to the Cook family for their generosity and commitment to academic excellence.