On October 15th,2019, the Nobel laureate in economics, Thomas J. Sargent, the W.R. Berkley Professor of Economics and Business at the Department of Economics at New York University, was appointed as Professor Emeritus of Nankai University at the auditorium of the main building of the Bali Tai campus. Bin Sheng, Dean of the School of Economics of Nankai University, presided over the ceremony. Dean Sheng gave a brief introduction to Professor Sargent's outstanding contribution to economics. Xinsheng Wang, Vice President of Nankai University, presented Professor Sargent with a certificate of honorary professor and a 100-year anniversary badge of Nankai University. The former vice president of Nankai University, Professor Jiadong Tong, attended the ceremony.

After a brief hiring ceremony, Professor Sargent delivered a keynote speech as a special lecture for the "One Hundred Years Nankai Forum" and "Nankai Economic Lecture Hall" series.

Professor Sargent’s speech, titled “US Trade and Tariff Policies: Then and Now,” reviews the history of US trade policies and changes in important nodes, and analyzes the reasons for the changes in US trade policies with China from multiple perspectives. Professor Sargent said that he is a staunch free trade advocate and firmly believes that free trade is beneficial to most people in most cases, and there is no winner in trade wars. The atmosphere was very warm. After Professor Sargent’s speech, the teachers and students asked questions, and Professor Sargent made serious answers one by one.

The event was co-sponsored by the School of Economics and the Institute for Economic and Social Development.