The Economics Scholars Program (ESP) began as a collaborative effort between Austin College and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in 2007. The goal of ESP is to foster the involvement of undergraduate students of economics in all facets and levels of the research process. The program is co-directed by Melanie Fox Kean, assistant professor of economics at Austin College, and Sherry Kiser, director of economic education at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

The cornerstone of ESP is the annual ESP Conference. The conference is modeled after professional economics conferences such as the papers sessions at the American Social Science Association or Eastern Economics Association annual meetings. Students can participate in the conference as presenters of their own (or coauthored with faculty) original research or as discussants, session chairs or audience member participants.

The original conference in 2007, titled the Undergraduate Economics Scholars Conference, was a pilot to determine the feasibility and demand for such a program. The pilot’s success resulted in the creation of the Economics Scholars Program. In 2008, participation more than tripled from the previous year. The 2009 conference goals remain to accommodate as many high-quality papers as feasible and to encourage students who have not yet completed high-quality research to develop their ideas with their peers and faculty interested in fostering undergraduate economic research.