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Impact and Engagement

Economics Beyond the Classroom

The Department of Economics at Radford University is engaged — with our students, our region, our state, and the wider world. Our faculty produce research that speaks to the most pressing issues of our time. Our students compete on a national stage and meet the people who shape U.S. economic policy. And through our Center for Economic Education, we bring economic understanding to communities and classrooms across Southwest Virginia.

This is what it looks like when economics gets to work.

Student Engagement in the College Fed Challenge

During the College Fed Challenge and its open house, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell (center) met with Radford's team and its faculty sponsor, Assistant Professor of Economics Jennifer Elias (left).

Go head-to-head with the best undergraduate economics students in the nation.

The Fed Challenge is a nationwide collegiate competition in which undergraduate teams analyze current economic conditions and present monetary policy recommendations. Students engage in doing, in miniature, what the Federal Open Market Committee does when it sets interest rates for the United States economy.

How it works

The team meets once a week for an hour. Together, students track economic trends, discuss recent Federal Reserve announcements, and assemble data into a coherent picture of where the economy stands and where it is headed. The culminating deliverable is a fifteen-minute video briefing on current economic and financial conditions, complete with a fully developed monetary policy recommendation.

What you will gain

  • Critical thinking and quantitative reasoning under real-world conditions
  • Communication and presentation skills that translate directly to any career
  • Experience in teamwork, collaboration, and leadership
  • Deep familiarity with financial markets, macroeconomic indicators, and the policy-making process
  • A resume entry that signals seriousness to employers and graduate programs alike

A track record of extraordinary experiences

Our Fed Challenge teams do not just compete. They engage with the institutions and individuals who shape the American economy.

  • 2022 — Presented an analysis of local economic challenges and opportunities to Pulaski County businesses at the Pulaski County Industrial Council
  • 2023 — Met Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in Washington, D.C.
  • 2024 — Attended a Federal Reserve conference on monetary policy in Washington, D.C.
  • 2025 — Visited the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank

Students who want to go deeper can enroll in independent study courses exploring the intricacies of central banking, interest rate theory, and macroeconomic policy-making.

Contact the Fed Challenge Coordinator

Jennifer Elias
Email: jsobotka@radford.edu

Faculty Research on Issues of Social Relevance

Faculty in the Economics Department often conduct research on key social issues. These issues often relate to sustainability, equality, poverty/hunger, justice, safety, education, health, peace and public policy. Here is a short sample of recent research completed in this realm:

  • “Is disability prevalence higher in rural areas? Evidence from functional difficulty and nightlight data in 15 low- and middle-income countries,” Katherine Theiss (2026)
  • “Till Tech Do Us Part: Betrayal Aversion and its Role in Algorithm Adoption,” Can Dogan (2025)
  • “State Capacity of Secret Surveillance,” Thomas K. Duncan (2025)
  • “Are women with disabilities more at risk of intimate partner violence?” Katherine Theiss (2025)
  • “An Importance-Performance Analysis of the Bike Virginia Event,” Joshua Carroll & Thomas K. Duncan (2024)
  • “Cyclical Interest in Entrepreneurship and the Virginia Economy,” Dan Farhat (2024)

Center for Economic Education

The Center for Economic Education at Radford University [CEER] prepares educational materials, conducts research, assembles economic education libraries, and engages in a variety of community programs. Our efforts focus on the economics of Virginia with particular emphasis on regional economies, business development, entrepreneurship and innovation, the value of small-town economies and local economic issues impacting our communities. 

Mission

Our mission is to help teachers include economics in existing elementary and secondary school curricula and to provide economic education to all southwest Virginians through:

  • Teaching: The center will offer recertification classes and workshops with emphasis on pre- and in-service teacher training.
  • Consultation: Local schools, educational agencies and communities are encouraged to request assistance with their economics curricula, teaching strategies, and learning aids.
  • Research: The center staff will carry out research on economic education.
  • Materials Development: The center has a library with materials for both borrowing and distribution, including curriculum guides, literature and films for such diverse sources as Federal Reserve, the AFL-CIO, the American Bankers Association, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Contact the Center Director

Dan Farhat, Ph.D.
Phone: 540-831-5191
Email: dfarhat@radford.edu

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