Raised on a farm and a self-proclaimed “farm kid,” Jennifer Rice, the youngest of eight children, showed pigs and cows in 4-H in North Manchester, Indiana. She received her undergraduate degree from Manchester College where she played golf and basketball.
“I played in a basketball tournament in Beijing, China, on an Indiana high-school all-star team,” says Rice.
Following graduation, she attended Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan for M.A. Applied Economics. After receiving her Ph.D. in Economics from Indiana University, for ten years she was employed by the Economics Department at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. She also worked in the Economics Department at Butler University in Indianapolis for seven years.
“My dissertation focus was on Health Economics—specifically, physician prescribing behavior and managed care,” says Rice, whose areas of Interest include Health Economics, Sports Economics, Applied Econometrics, and Applied Microeconomics.
After receiving her doctorate degree from IU, she dreamed of one day returning to campus as a faculty member, and now her dream has come true. This fall Rice joins BEPP’s faculty where she will teach Managerial Economics for both undergrad and MBA students, Econometrics, and Capstone in Economic Consulting.
“I was drawn to a career at IU due to my amazing experience here as a Ph.D. student, but the reputation of BEPP and BEPP faculty was another factor,” says Rice. “Not to mention the campus is beautiful. I also adore the academic feel of campus.”
She and her husband, Brian Shield, have two very large dogs named Butch and Sophie. The couple likes to vacation in Hilton Head Island. Rice’s favorite food is rivels, which are small lumps of egg dough that are dropped into hot soup like tiny dumplings.
In her free time, Rice likes gardening, golfing, camping, and assembling jigsaw puzzles. If she’s looking to chill, chances are she’ll pop in the classic movie Hoosiers, starring Gene Hackman or let off some steam on the basketball court or the putting green.
While at IU, she hopes to help students realize their academic and professional potential.
“I want to have a positive impact on students and help them understand the importance of economics in their lives, both academically and professionally,” says Rice.
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