Holy Cross’s Professor
By Christine R. Walsh

Holy Cross College’s Victor Matheson, Professor of Economics, may seem like a charming, gregarious and passionate teacher on the outside. But he hides a dark secret: He enjoys tricking his students into learning under the guise of fun.

“One of the main courses I teach is a course called Sports Economics,” said Matheson. “Students can learn how communities are affected by major sporting events like the Super Bowl. The students come in as sports fans and I trick them into learning economics.”

Matheson, 37, began his journey into academia at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts. Then it was off to the University of Minnesota, where he completed both a Master’s Degree and a PhD in Economics. He chose education as his occupation and couldn’t be happier.

“I get paid to stand up in front of people and talk about economics,” said Matheson. “What could be better than that?”

When he’s not behind the lectern, Matheson keeps his mind and body busy. He is a soccer referee for Major League Soccer and Division I college soccer. Matheson is also a member of the Massachusetts State Referee Committee and holds one of the most challenging referee positions known to man ~ the position of “Daddy.”

“My wife Jolie and I have two daughters, Lara and Alexandra, and they’re both under the age of two,” Matheson said. “I’m not familiar with the concept of downtime.”

Matheson believes that the key to success in the classroom and in life is to be curious. According the professor, as long as you’re interested in what you’re doing, everything else falls into place.

And if a student finds himself struggling in Matheson’s class, an apple for the teacher isn’t the way to get that A. But, Matheson admitted with a twinkle in his eye, “I can’t guarantee you an A if you bring me Red Sox tickets, but it certainly won’t hurt…!