On July 13th, one of the leading educators in the field of economic education, Dr. Mark C. Shueg, passed away. I’ve known Mark for many years and had the pleasure of co-authoring the economics episode of Civics and American Government with him. The purpose of this memorial is to preserve the historical record of his remarkable career and his enduring legacy in economic education.
For more than 50 years, Mark C. Shueg has dedicated his career to helping teachers, students, and the broader public understand and apply economic reasoning. After finishing his career as professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he helped shape the teaching of economics through his work as a classroom teacher, university professor, researcher, curriculum developer, author, editor, and instructor. Throughout his distinguished career, Shug has written or edited more than 280 books, articles, chapters, and national curriculum materials (of which approximately 31 were authored/co-authored books and books, and approximately 131 of which were authored/co-authored journal articles), combining academic rigor with a deep commitment to improving economic education for learners of all ages.
After receiving bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota, Schug began his career as a sociology professor and joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1980. He taught there for 27 years, becoming a full professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and serving as director of the university’s Center for Economic Education for 12 years. His research, particularly on how children develop economic reasoning, helped advance the field of economic education, and his teachings prepared generations of educators to integrate economics into history, civics, government, and everyday decision-making.
Shug’s influence extended far beyond the university classroom. He has authored or co-authored more than 30 books and volumes, contributed to numerous nationally adopted curriculum projects, edited Senior Economist magazine for 10 years, and co-edited numerous themed issues of Social Education, the flagship magazine of the National Social Studies Council. His best-known works include Economics: Choices and Challenges, Economic Episodes in American History, How Teachers Can Become Financially Healthy, and Economic Episodes in Civics and American Government. Through these publications, workshops and presentations throughout the United States and abroad, he helped make economics more appealing, practical, and meaningful to both educators and students.
Mr. Shug also devoted significant time to professional leadership and service. He was the founding president of the Milwaukee Business and Economics Academy (BEAM), a tuition-free K-8 charter school that opened in 2001 and integrates business and economics throughout the curriculum. He served as founding president of BEAM for approximately seven years and continued his leadership role by serving as secretary of the charter school’s board of directors for many years. While directing the Center for Economic Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center, Mark launched the Youth Enterprise Academy, a program that gives Milwaukee public school students the opportunity to earn money, invest money, and save for higher education. I have served on the boards of numerous educational and civic organizations, including BEAM, School Choice Wisconsin, Economics Wisconsin, Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies, University School of Milwaukee, and the Association of Private Enterprise Education. As president of the Wisconsin Social Studies Council and through other leadership roles, he promoted teacher professional development and fostered collaboration among educators.
Mr. Shug supported school choice and other reforms designed to enhance educational opportunities. Milwaukee’s 1990 school voucher program was the nation’s first school voucher program and became a pioneering model for school choice reform across the country. There is evidence that increased competition from vouchers has also provided incentives for public schools to improve.
Mark taught at the middle school, high school, and college levels for 37 years before retiring. After retiring from the university and receiving the honor of professor emeritus, Mr. Schueg remained active in writing, consulting, and professional development through Mark Schugg Consulting Services and the Office for the Advancement of Free Enterprise Education (OAFEE). Later in his career, Shug developed a close professional partnership with economist M. Scott Niederjohn, helping to expand economics education through joint programs, publications, and support for teachers. Together, they led OAFEE workshops in the “Economics for Heroes,” “Economics for Opinion Leaders,” and “Economics Education in American History” programs. They also developed and led workshops for the Fraser Institute’s Economics for Journalists program for Canadian journalists.
After relocating to Port St. Lucie, Florida, Mr. Shueg founded the Del Webb Tradition Econ Club. The club has grown to over 100 members and regularly hosts notable guest speakers. He also held several leadership roles on the church council of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, including president and vice president. His many contributions have been recognized through numerous honors recognizing excellence in leadership, research, curriculum development, and service to the profession. Those who knew Mark remember not only his great scholarship, but also his genuine kindness, quiet humility, generosity toward colleagues, and sincere desire to encourage fellow educators.
Mark Schug’s accomplishments extend far beyond his impressive record of publications, research, and professional service. He dedicated his career to making economics understandable and relevant to teachers, students, and the broader public, and helped shape the teaching of economics in classrooms across the United States. His work has inspired other researchers and generations of educators to strengthen teacher preparation and help students think more carefully about the choices they face as individuals and as a society. His enduring legacy lives on not only in the books he wrote and the curriculum he developed, but also in the countless educators and students whose lives were enriched by his lifelong dedication to economic education.
Mark C. Schug: December 23, 1947 – July 13, 2026
footnote
[1] Mark C. Shueg, Curriculum Vita. (Downloaded from Mark Schug Consulting Services on July 14, 2026. Please note that the list of publications on his resume has only been updated through about 2021, so it does not include the latest textbooks or other publications. Also, other sections of his resume, such as conference presentations, had not been updated since 2013, although Mark was actually presenting at conferences and conducting workshops until his death.)
[2] Mark C. Schug, Curriculum Vita; Mark Schug Consulting Services, “About Mark.”
[3] The Senior Economist was a professional publication of the Joint Council for Economic Education (now the Council for Economic Education). See Mark C. Schug, ed., The Senior Economist, vol. 6. 1, no. 1 (New York: Joint Council on Economic Education, Fall 1986).
[4] John S. Morton, Mark C. Shueg, and Donald R. Wentworth, Economics: Choices and Challenges (McDougal Littell, 1995). William C. Wood, Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, M. Scott Niederjohn, Mark C. Schug, Economic Episodes in American History, 2nd edition (Wall Publishing, 2019); Mark C. Schug, Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, M. Scott Niederjohn, William C. Wood, Teachers can become financially healthy: An economist’s advice for educators (Springer Nature, 2020). M. Scott Niederjohn, Mark C. Schug, Signe Thomas, and William C. Wood, Economic Episodes of Citizens and American Government (Wohl Publishing, 2022). See Mark C. Schug’s Curriculum Vita.
[5] Shug’s international presentation included (at least) the following countries: England, Scotland, Russia, Latvia, Sweden, and Canada.
[6] Milwaukee Business and Economics Academy (BEAM), “About BEAM.” Mark C. Schug, “Restart Your Engine: How to Educate an American,” Econlib, January 4, 2021.
[7] Mark C. Schugg and Eric A. Hagedorn, “Milwaukee Youth Enterprise Academy: An Eight-Year Study of a Model Program for Urban Youth,” The Social Studies 97, no. 2 (March-April 2006); ERIC, “Milwaukee Youth Enterprise Academy: An Eight-Year Study of a Model Program for Urban Youth,” EJ744217; M. Scott Niederjohn, “Shugg: The giant of economics education took lessons beyond the classroom to those who wanted to learn,” Badger Institute, July 16, 2026.
[8] Mark C. Schug, Curriculum Vita; Mark Schug Consulting Services, “About Mark”; Mark C. Schug, “Restart Your Engine: How to Educate an American,” Econlib, January 4, 2021. Mark C. Schug and M. Scott Niederjohn, “Wisconsin Teacher Licensing—Who is Protected: Parents or Educational Institutions?” Badger Institute, February 1, 2011. Mike Ford and Mark C. Shueg, “How to Fix the School of Education,” Badger Institute, October 1, 2013.
[9] School Choice Wisconsin, Parent Choice Wisconsin. Rajashri Chakrabarti, “Can Increased Private School Participation and Financial Loss in Voucher Programs Affect Public School Performance? Evidence from Milwaukee,” Journal of Public Economics, 92, nos. 5–6 (June 2008): 1371–1393.
[10] Mark Schug Consulting Services, “About Mark.”
[11] Office for the Promotion of Free Corporate Education (OAFEE), “Mark C. Schug – Senior Program Advisor and Faculty” Office for the Promotion of Free Corporate Education (OAFEE).
[12] Fraser Institute, “Economics for Journalists.” William Watson, “My ‘Ah! Moments’ on the minimum wage… and more,” Fraser Institute, May 11, 2018.
[13] Mark Schug Consulting Services, “About Mark”; Martin Funeral Home and Crematory, “Obituary of Mark C. Schug”.
[14] Mark C. Schug, Curriculum Vita; Mark Schug Consulting Services, “About Mark.”
