Robert Glenn Hubbard (born September 4, 1958) is an American economist. He served as the Dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Business from 2004 to 2019, where he remains the Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics.[2] On September 13, 2018, he announced that he would retire from his position after his contract expired on June 30, 2019. Hubbard previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 1991 to 1993, and as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2001 to 2003.
Born September 4, 1958, Hubbard was raised in Apopka, Florida, a suburb of Orlando, Florida. His father taught at a local community college and his mother taught at a high school. Hubbard's younger brother, Gregg, is a member of the country-pop band Sawyer Brown.[4]
Hubbard is an Eagle Scout. A member of the chess team, he graduated at the top of his class. He scored well enough on his College Level Examination Program to enter the University of Central Florida with enough credits to graduate with two degrees in three years. He obtained his B.A. and B.S. degrees summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida in 1979, and his masters and PhD in economics from Harvard University in 1983.[4]
He was named Dean of Columbia Business School on July 1, 2004. During his tenure, the construction of the 11-story Henry R. Kravis Hall was launched.[6]
Government
Hubbard was Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 1991 to 1993.[3]
Hubbard was an economic advisor for the Jeb Bush 2016 presidential campaign.[11][12][13][14][15] After Donald Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee, Hubbard was mentioned as a potential Treasury secretary (which eventually went to Steven Mnuchin),[16][13] and also as a potential Fed chair (which eventually went to Jerome Powell).[17][16] Hubbard had been critical of both Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, including after Bush had suspended his campaign.[18][19][20][21][22] In August 2016, Hubbard declined to say which candidate he supported in the general election,[23] but did say that Trump's taxation plans and their impact on economic growth were in a "direction" somewhat better than Clinton's plans.[24] Hubbard criticized Trump's plans on trade and immigration for their predicted economic impact.[25]
Hubbard is a member of the Board of Directors of Automatic Data Processing, Inc., BlackRock Closed-End Funds, Capmark Financial Corporation, Duke Realty Corporation, KKR Financial Corporation, The TIFIN Group LLC and Ripplewood Holdings. He is also a Director or Trustee of the Economic Club of New York, Tax Foundation, Resources for the Future, Manhattan Council and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, and a member of the Advisory Board of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse... Director of MetLife and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company since February 2007.[5]
On January 8, 2019, he was appointed to become MetLife's non-executive chairman of the board as of May 1, 2019, upon the retirement of Steven A. Kandarian.[29]
Inside Job interview and aftermath
Hubbard was interviewed in Charles Ferguson's Oscar-winning documentary film, Inside Job (2010), discussing his advocacy, as chief economic advisor to the Bush administration, of deregulation. Ferguson argues that deregulation led to the 2007–2008 financial crisis sparked by the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and the sale of Merrill Lynch. In the interview, Ferguson asks Hubbard to enumerate the firms from whom he receives outside income as an advisory board member in the context of possible conflict of interest. Hubbard, hitherto cooperative, declines to answer and threatens to end the interview with the remark, "You have three more minutes; give it your best shot."[30] After the release of the film, Columbia ramped up ongoing efforts to strengthen and clarify their conflict of interest disclosure requirements.[31]
Books
Hubbard is the author of a number of economic and socioeconomic texts, with a focus on deregulation, conservative fiscal policy and taxation. In 2009, he wrote and published The Aid Trap with economist William Duggan Columbia University Press, criticizing the aid system provided by NGOs in western countries as preventing internal growth in poorer nations.[32] In 2013, he published Balance with former intelligence officer and economist Tim Kane.[33]
Columbia Business School (CBS) Follies
Hubbard is also frequently featured in skits by Columbia Business School's "Follies" group, ranging from videos of him monitoring students on classroom video cameras[34] to songs about his relationship with presidential candidate Mitt Romney.[35] Hubbard has also publicized his dissatisfaction with Ben Bernanke's nomination as Chair of the Federal Reserve with his comedic YouTube parody of The Police's "Every Breath You Take", titled "Every Breath Bernanke Takes".[36]
References
^ abc"Hubbard's CV"(PDF). Archived(PDF) from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
^ abc"Director – R. Glenn Hubbard". Metlife. R. Glenn Hubbard, Ph.D., age 50, has been the Dean of the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University since 2004 and the Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics since 1994. Dr. Hubbard has been a professor of the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University since 1988. He is also a visiting scholar and Director of the Tax Policy Program for the American Enterprise Institute, and was a member of the Panel of Economic Advisers for the Congressional Budget Office from 2004 to 2006. From 2001 to 2003, Dr. Hubbard served as Chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers and as Chairman of the Economic Policy Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Dr. Hubbard is a member of the Board of Directors of Automatic Data Processing, Inc., BlackRock Closed-End Funds, Capmark Financial Corporation, Duke Realty Corporation, KKR Financial Corporation and Ripplewood Holdings. He is also a Director or Trustee of the Economic Club of New York, Tax Foundation, Resources for the Future, Manhattan Council and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, and a member of the Advisory Board of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse... Director of MetLife and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company since February 2007. Link. Retrieved December 15, 2008.[permanent dead link]
^Kaplan, Robert D. (August 2, 2013). "Rise and Fall". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
^ECHO 360. CBS Follies. December 16, 2011. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via YouTube. Those ECHO 360 cameras in every room at CBS aren't just recording lectures so you can skip class on Jewish holidays. They're Hubbard's eyes and ears. He's watching you.
^White House Dream. CBS Follies. April 16, 2012. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via YouTube. From the Columbia Business School Follies Spring 2012 Show
