About

Welcome from the Department Chair

Thomas Duncan — Thomas K. DuncanChair, Department of Economics

Welcome to the Department of Economics at Radford University!

Whether you're considering economics as a major, exploring it through our minor, or simply taking your first economics course, I'm glad you're here. Economics is fundamentally about decision-making—understanding how individuals and businesses in society make choices when facing trade-offs and limited resources.

At Radford, we're proud to be a teaching-focused institution. What does that mean for you? It means our faculty are here primarily to help you learn and succeed. We keep our classes appropriately sized so you can engage directly with professors who know your name and care about your progress. We're educators who are passionate about making economics accessible, relevant, and genuinely interesting.

Our department's greatest strength is our commitment to helping you become a better decision-maker. As part of the Davis College of Business and Economics, we teach you to recognize trade-offs in every situation—whether you're running a business, evaluating a policy, or navigating everyday choices. You'll learn to weigh costs against benefits, identify what you're giving up when you choose one option over another, and think systematically about the consequences of decisions. We also help you understand how government policies—from fiscal and monetary policy to environmental and regulatory decisions—shape the landscape of choices available to individuals and businesses.

Economics teaches you to see the world differently. You'll learn to identify incentives, anticipate unintended consequences, and cut through rhetoric to understand what's really at stake in any decision. An economics education prepares you for careers in business, finance, government, law, data analysis, and countless other fields—because the ability to assess trade-offs and understand policy impacts is valuable everywhere.

I encourage you to stop by our offices, talk with our faculty, and explore what economics has to offer. We're here to support your academic journey and help you become a sharper, more effective thinker.

Welcome to Radford Economics!

Thomas K. Duncan
Chair, Department of Economics

Who We Are

The Department of Economics is one of the oldest academic departments at Radford University. Economics courses started here in the 1960s when Radford University was a woman's college. The Economics Department and the Economics major was created in 1969 to launch the study of business and advance the study of social sciences.

In 1972, men were admitted and Radford University became co-educational. Shortly after (1974), coursework in other areas of business were added leading to the creation of the School of Business and Professional Studies (1978).

The Economics Department joined the Business College to form the College of Business and Economics. In 2018, the college was renamed the Davis College of Business and Economics in honor of generous donations made by Sandra C. Davis and William C. Davis.

The Dedication of Our Faculty

Our faculty excel in all 3 areas of academia: teaching, research and service. Our goal is to share Economics knowledge with our students, colleagues and community to improve the decisions we all make.

Our Commitment to High-Quality Education

When you take an Economics course at Radford University, you are getting a high-quality experience. Our courses are designed to match the needs of our students and the demands of modern society. We emphasize high-order competencies and provide students with the support they need to succeed. Many of our courses are small, allowing students to work closely with peers and instructors for a more engaging learning adventure. We review our curriculum every year so you always get the most up-to-date offerings. Our faculty have diverse backgrounds which allows us to provide students with a variety of courses covering interesting topics. There is something for everyone.

Our faculty care about your wallet. Several of our faculty have adopted open education resources [OERs] for their courses. OERs are free-to-use digital materials (readings, videos) curated by the professor to address the needs of the students. More than 70% of students taking our courses face $0 in textbook/materials costs as a result.

Our Commitment to Scholarship

Our faculty engage in valuable economics research. We steadily contribute to the body of economics knowledge by publishing in peer-reviewed journals, presenting research findings and conferences, and contributing chapters to books and technical publications.

Our faculty have diverse research interests spanning several different areas of Economics. These include Economic Development, Behavioral Economics, Labor Economics, Macroeconomics, Public Policy, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Computational Economics and Business Economics.

Our Commitment to Service

Economics department faculty contribute to several committees and work groups across the Radford University campus. In addition to helping the university meet its goals, our faculty also serve the wider community. Our faculty has given guest lectures at regional high schools, presented economic studies for local industry groups and have consulted with local businesses.

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