Libby Rittenberg has been a Professor of Economics at Colorado College in Colorado Springs since 1989. She teaches principles of economics, intermediate macroeconomic theory, comparative economic systems, and international political economy. She received her B. A. in economics-mathematics and Spanish from Simmons College and her Ph.D. in economics from Rutgers University.

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Prior to joining the faculty at Colorado College, she taught at Lafayette College and at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Management. She served as a Fulbright Scholar in Istanbul, Turkey, and as a research economist at Mathematica, Inc. in Princeton, New Jersey.

Dr. Rittenberg specializes in the internationally oriented areas of economics, with numerous articles in journals and books on comparative and development economics. Much of her work focuses on transition issues and on the Turkish economy.

She has been very involved in study abroad education and has directed programs in central Europe and Turkey.

There is one word that captures the essence of Dr. Timothy Tregarthen—inspiring. Tim was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1975. Yet, he continued a remarkable academic career of teaching and research. In 1996, he published the first edition of his principles of economics textbook to great acclaim, and it became widely used in colleges around the country. That same year, MS made him wheelchair-bound. The disease forced his retirement from teaching at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 1998. He lost the use of his arms in 2001 and has been quadriplegic ever since. In 2002, Tim’s doctor expected him to die.

He was placed in the Pikes Peak Hospice program and was twice given his last rites by his priest. UCCS Chancellor Shockley-Zalabak says, “I really thought that Tim would die in hospice. That’s what the doctors told me, and I really believed that. I remember one day they called me and told me to try to come see him. They didn't expect him to live through the night.”

Not only did he live through the night, but he eventually recovered to the point that he moved from hospice to a long-term care facility. There, he never let his disease get him down. In fact, he turned back to his love of writing and teaching for inspiration. He obtained a voice-activated computer, recruited a coauthor, Libby Rittenberg of Colorado College, and turned his attention to revising his principles of economics book. Flat World Knowledge is honored to publish a new, first edition relaunch of this wonderful book, and proud to bring Tim’s incredible talents as a teacher back to life for future generations of students to learn from.

In addition to completing the rewrite of his textbook, Tim recently completed an autobiography about the thirty-two years he has had MS, titled Suffering, Faith, and Wildflowers. He is nearing completion of a novel, Cool Luck, based on the life of a friend. It is the story of a young couple facing the husband’s diagnosis of ALS—Lou Gehrig’s disease. Remarkably, in 2007, he was able to return to the classroom at UCCS, where he had taught economics for twenty-seven years. In January of 2009, Tim married Dinora Montenegro (now Dinora Tregarthen); the couple lives in San Gabriel, California.

Perhaps Tim’s approach to life is best summed up by an observation by UCCS English Professor Thomas Naperierkowski: “One of the remarkable things is, heck, I can wake up with a headache and be a pretty grouchy character, but given his physical trials, which he faces every minute of his life these days, I’ve never seen him grouchy, I’ve never seen him cranky.” Carry on, Tim.