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Economics and Business

Randolph College is the ideal place to study economics and business. 

Economics professor Jeff Heinfeldt leads group discussion.

Why Study Economics and Business at Randolph?

Given our small classes, you will have opportunities that would simply not be feasible at larger schools: technology-based research projects, independent studies, chances to present your work to your professors and peers.

The department offers a wide variety of opportunities for experiential learning beyond the classroom.

At Randolph, you will…

  • Discover how business and economic theories and policies shape our lives.
  • Make connections between theory and the real world.
  • Gain new perspectives on social and political problems by delving into the philosophical foundations, history, and theory.
  • Build your quantitative and analytical skills.

Degrees offered

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics

Minor in Business

Minor in Economics

Curriculum and Courses

Related Programs

The Randolph Experience

Senior Capstone
Randolph economics and business students complete their degree with an intensive, research-based project under the guidance of the faculty. 

Internships
Randolph students gain real world experience through required off-campus internships in a variety of fields, disciplines, and industries.

Cool Small Classes
Randolph professors offer unique, engaging courses on topics like food and social justice, labor, banking, and international economics, which often take students outside the classroom.

Intercultural Competence
All Randolph students learn global citizenship with the capability to accurately understand and adapt to cultural differences and find commonality.

Outcomes
Randolph students are prepared for success and find careers in industry, government, and service, as well as acceptance into top graduate schools.

Unique Experiences

Outcomes

Historic Preservation Law

Janie Campbell ’12, history major
Preservation Consultant, law firm of Rogers Lewis Jackson Mann & Quinn, LLC, Columbia, South Carolina

Janie’s group works with developers seeking tax credits for rehabilitating historic properties.

“I work closely with project architects to ensure that historic, character defining elements of each building are preserved and restored, which can vary tremendously as what is significant to a 1929 airplane hangar is vastly different from what makes a 1963 mid-century modern motel unique!”

She writes National Register of Historic Places nominations and Historic Preservation Certification applications, which detail the property’s significance.  She also conducts site visits to ensure work is being completed as described and photographs the before, during, and after conditions of each project.

“Randolph certainly laid the foundation for my research and writing skills. The Summer Research Program, in particular, prepared me for the type of place-based research I do now. “

Opportunities

Top Ranked Professors

Randolph College’s faculty are consistently recognized as among the best in the nation. The Princeton Review ranked the College in the Top 20 for most accessible professors in the 2021 edition of its flagship college guide, The Best 387 Colleges.

Randolph has been ranked in the top 20 for most accessible professors for four consecutive years.

Business and Economics Faculty

John Abell

Professor of Economics, Carl Stern Chair of Economics

Read More... John Abell

Alfredo Gonzalez Cambero

Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics and Business

Read More... Alfredo Gonzalez Cambero

Jeff Heinfeldt

Professor of Economics and Business

Read More... Jeff Heinfeldt

Nasim Malekshah

Assistant Professor Economics and Business

Read More... Nasim Malekshah

Only at Randolph

Randolph students can take advantage of unique programs which give them a more enriching education than can be found anywhere else.

The Randolph Plan

Randolph students work with faculty mentors to explore a broad range of disciplines as they chart their academic path.

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The Liberal Arts Advantage

Randolph graduates learn to think critically, solve problems and work well with others. They are prepared to succeed in all aspects of life.

Learn More
TAKE2

Two courses per half-mester means you get to focus in and dig deep into your coursework while still having time for the rest of the college experience. Two classes. Seven weeks. Repeat.

Learn More
Money for Your Research

The Randolph Innovative Student Experience (RISE) program provides every student a $2,000 grant to fund research, creative work, experiential learning or other scholarly pursuits.

Learn More

Department News

New faculty Q&A: Nasim Malekshah

Malekshah, Randolph’s newest assistant professor of economics and business, began her career as a marketing strategist for an advertising agency before serving as a consultant.

Read More

Q&A with new faculty: Alfredo Gonzalez Cambero

Cambero is a visiting assistant professor of business and economics.

Read More

Abell publishes article in “Virginia Economic Journal”

He published the article “Redlining in Lynchburg: Lingering Effects on Home Valuations."

Read More

New faculty Q&A: Nasim Malekshah

Malekshah, Randolph’s newest assistant professor of economics and business, began her career as a marketing strategist for an advertising agency before serving as a consultant.

Read More

Q&A with new faculty: Alfredo Gonzalez Cambero

Cambero is a visiting assistant professor of business and economics.

Read More

Abell publishes article in “Virginia Economic Journal”

He published the article “Redlining in Lynchburg: Lingering Effects on Home Valuations."

Read More
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Department Chair

John Abell

Professor of Economics, Carl Stern Chair of Economics

Credentials:B.S., Centre College of Kentucky
M.S., University of Kentucky
Ph.D., University of Kentucky
Associated Departments:Economics and Business
Office:Main 7
Phone:4349478502
Email:jabell@randolphcollege.edu

News Headlines

John D. Abell, Professor of Economics, holds the Carl Stern Chair of Economics at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia. He received his Masters and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Kentucky (1983,1985).

His formal training was in the areas of macroeconomics, monetary economics, and finance. His early research employed traditional macroeconometric time series techniques to analyze the employment impacts of monetary and fiscal policies as they were distributed along racial and gender lines. His teaching and research have evolved over the years in the direction of food, sustainability, and local economics. This work has taken him from the central highlands of Guatemala to the streets of Lynchburg, Virginia.

In 2011, he offered a course on the “Economics of Food and Sustainability”. He and his students conducted research to determine the extent to which Lynchburg’s urban core constituted a food desert. They investigated convenience stores and nearby grocery stores to compare prices and food availability. They found prices averaging 90 percent more in the convenience stores and virtually no fresh food. Their findings were published in the Virginia Economic Journal in 2011.

Sabbatical research in spring semester 2014 on the topic of hunger and poverty in Lynchburg was documented in a video blog titled: “The hunger-poverty nexus. Food? What is its proper role? Case study of Lynchburg, Virginia.” The findings were also published in the Virginia Social Science Journal in 2015.

His current research connects the poverty in Lynchburg of the present, especially for blacks, with the racism of the past, in particular, the real estate redlining practices of the 1930s. Preliminary findings were published as an opinion piece in the News and Advance in April 2018.

Professor Abell has won the Gillie A. Larew Award (2005-06) given for outstanding teaching, and the Katherine Graves Davidson Award (2012-13) given to faculty who have brought distinction to the college.

Beyond Randolph’s “red brick walls,” Professor Abell has served on the board of directors of the Lynchburg Area Food Council (2012-14), serving one year as president and also serving on the board of Lynchburg Daily Bread (2016-19). He has assisted in the planning and construction of three community gardens: Randolph College’s own organic garden 2010), one in the Daniel’s Hill neighborhood (2013), and more recently at New Vistas School (2014).

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Alfredo Gonzalez Cambero

Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics and Business

Credentials:
Associated Departments:Economics and Business
Email:agonzalez@randolphcollege.edu

News Headlines

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Jeff Heinfeldt

Professor of Economics and Business

Credentials:B.S., Bowling Green State University
M.B.A., Bowling Green State University
Ph.D., Kent State University
Associated Departments:Economics and Business
Office:Main 9
Phone:4349478503
Email:jheinfeldt@randolphcollege.edu

News Headlines

I earned my BSBA and MBA degrees from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio and received a PhD in Finance from Kent State University, also in Ohio.

I have professional experience in the areas of banking and corporate accounting. I have taught a wide range of courses in the past: finance, accounting, management, and economics. The students and their education are my main priorities. In keeping with this focus on student education, I enjoy conducting research that is applied and pedagogical in nature. I am particularly interested in topics that improve the classroom experience for the students and enhance my teaching effectiveness. Specific areas of research have included financial education/pedagogy, stakeholder theory, and firm value.

As for outside interests and activities, my wife, Denise, and I enjoy sports (biking, jogging, tennis, etc.), travel and relaxing (when possible).

I sum up my thoughts on business, and specifically finance, education as follows: I believe financial education is of value to students whether they pursue a career in the discipline or not. In particular, basic financial literacy is an important life skill. As a teacher, I would like students to gain an understanding of, and an appreciation for, finance and to have had a positive experience along the way.

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Nasim Malekshah

Assistant Professor Economics and Business

Credentials:BS, Shahid Beheshti University
MDA, Alzahra University
PhD, Southern Illinois University
Associated Departments:Economics and Business
Office:Main 10
Phone:4349478504
Email:nmalekshah@randolphcollege.edu

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