Dr. Paul W. Grimes serves as Dean and Professor of Economics for the Kelce College of Business at Pittsburg State University. Over the course of his 32-year career, he has taught thousands of college students, from entering freshman to doctoral candidates. Prior to his return to Pittsburg State University in 2011, Dr. Grimes served as a faculty member and college administrator for 25 years at Mississippi State University. He is the author of more than 100 scholarly research articles, reviews, notes, and other publications. Additionally, he has received more than one and a half million dollars in grants and contracts for his research and outreach activities over the course of his career from organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

Dr. Grimes proudly traces his Southeast Kansas roots back four generations. After graduating from Baxter Springs High School, he attended Fort Scott Community College to pursue an Associate degree in business administration in May 1978. Dr. Grimes went on to earn a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in economics from Pittsburg State University. In December 1984, he received his Doctor of Philosophy from Oklahoma State University and began his career in higher education. Dr. Grimes’ academic specializations are in the areas of labor economics, economic education, and economics of public policy.

In 2003, Dr. Grimes was instrumental in founding the Mississippi Council on Economic Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to training K-12 teachers and promoting economic and financial literacy. His work with the Council resulted in revisions to the Mississippi high school curriculum which will positively impact generations of students and their families.

Princeton University recognized Dr. Grimes’ scholarship by naming him a Visiting Fellow. He was also named a Senior Evaluation Scholar by the National Council on Economic Education. In 2005, he was honored by the National Association of Economic Educators with the Henry H. Villard Research Award for his career contributions to economic education research. The Southern Economic Association presented Dr. Grimes with the prestigious Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award in 2010.

Dr. Grimes is a co-author of Economics of Social Issues, an introductory college economics textbook published by McGraw-Hill. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of The American Economist, the academic journal published by Omicron Delta Epsilon, the International Honor Society in Economics. He lives in Pittsburg with his wife Marybeth, his two children, Maryroze (14), and Spalding (12), and his mother-in-law Rosemary.