Transcript of Vedder Morris Interview
Interviewee
Richard Vedder
Interviewer
Alex Morris
Interview Date
2-27-2026
Description
In this 2026 interview, Richard Vedder, Distinguished Professor of Economics Emeritus at Ohio University, discusses his life in Athens and his career in economics. He has been continually affiliated with OU since 1965, when he joined the economics faculty immediately after completing his PHD at the University of Illinois. Some topics discussed are the evolution of both Athens and OU since his arrival, along with his memories of notable events on campus. Among such occurrences that Dr. Vedder provides anecdotes about are the protests against the Vietnam War, pushes by faculty for unionization, as well as the visit of notable figures such as former president Jimmy Carter. He additionally discusses his extensive work in the public sector related to the economics of higher education, which included participation in the Spellings Commission on Higher Education of George W. Bush’s administration. This work also included many trips to foreign countries as an economic advisor, such as the Russian Federation of Vladimir Putin in 2000. Furthermore, he gives his concerns about the future of higher education, and OU in particular.
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Keywords
higher education, economics, faculty unionization, Spellings Commission, Ohio University, Athens Ohio, Vietnam War protests, Charles Ping, Jimmy Carter, Vladimir Putin.
Publication Date
4-30-2026
Interview Location
Athens, Ohio
Digital Publisher
Ohio University Libraries
Document Type
Oral History
Duration
1:23:30
File Format
PDF and MP4
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Vedder, Richard and Morris, Alexander, "Richard Vedder Interview by Alex Morris, February 27, 2026" (2026). HIST 4798/5798: Recording Memory: Methods and Uses of Oral History. 32.
https://ohioopen.library.ohio.edu/hist4798/32