Business and Economics

Jennifer VanGilder 2022
Jennifer VanGilder 2022

Jennifer VanGilder

Jennifer VanGilder is a Professor in the Business and Economics Department at Ursinus College. An active scholar, Dr. VanGilder’s research focuses on facial symmetry and skin tone discrimination and has appeared in numerous journals including Economic Letters, International Journal of Sport Finance, and the Journal of Sports Economics. This research received national attention in numerous media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Inside the NFL, and was featured during an episode of NFL Films Presents. Her previous research includes topics such as gender differences in perceptions of female faculty in postsecondary education, functional impairments and choice of college major, and the role of childhood sexual victimization in the occupational choice of adults. Before joining Ursinus College, she was chair and Associate Professor of Applied Economics at California State University Bakersfield. Her passion, however, lies in teaching in a liberal arts setting, which is what drew her to Ursinus.

Department

Business and Economics

Degrees

  • B.S., B.A., Bethany College
  • M.A., Economics, Binghamton University
  • Ph.D., Economics, Binghamton University

Teaching

  • Principles of Microeconomics
  • Intermediate Microeconomics
  • Global Economics
  • Managerial Economics
  • Race and Gender in the American Economy
  • Environmental Economics
  • Labor Economics
  • Econometrics
  • Business Statistics
  • CIE

Research Interests

  • Facial symmetry and skin tone discrimination
  • Post Secondary Education Perceptions and Discrimination
  • Economic Implications of Mental Health
  • Sport Economics
  • Economics of Mental Health

Recent Work

Salary and Job Satisfaction among Economics and Business Graduates: The Effect of Match between Degree Field and Job (with John Robst ) International Review of Economic Education, Volume 21, Pages 30-40 (2016)

The relationship between faculty characteristics and the use of norm- and criteria-based grading (with John Robst) Cogent Economics and Finance, volume 4, number (2016)

“Is the Sports Media Color-Blind” (with David Berri and Aju Fenn), International Journal of Sports Finance, v9 issue 2, (2014)

“What does it mean to find the Face of the Franchise? Physical Attractiveness and the Evaluation of Athletic Performance” (with David Berri, Rob Simmons, and Lisle O’Neill) , Economics Letters, v 111, pp 200-202, (2011)

“Defense Wins Championships?” The Answer from the Gridiron (with David Berri, John Robst, and Coby Vance), International Journal of Sport Finance, v6, pp 72-82 (2011)

“Skin Tone and Wages: Evidence from NBA Free Agents” ( with David Berri, John Robst and Corrine Coates) Journal of Sports Economics, v12 n2, pp. 143-156, (2011)

“The Role of Childhood Sexual Victimization in the Occupational Choice of Adults” (with John Robst) Applied Economics Volume 43 (2011), Number 3, pp. 341-354.

“Gender Differences in Perceived Treatment at Higher Education Insitutions: Comparing Research and Teaching Institutions (with John Robst), International Review of Economic Education (2010) v3 n4 pp 1-13.

“Functional Impairment and the Choice of College Major” (with John Robst), Eastern Economic Journal, 2010, v26 n2, pp. 164-176.

“Perceptions of Female Faculty Treatment in Higher Education: Which Institutions Treat Women More Fairly?” (with John Robst and Solomon Polachek) Economics of Education Review v 22, no. 1 (February 2003)

“Gender Differences in Reasons for Job Mobility Intentions in Higher Education” (with John Robst) Worker Well-Being and Public Policy: Research in Labor Economics v 22 (2003)

“Atrophy Rates in Male and Female Occupations” (with John Robst), Economic Letters, October 2000, v.69, n3, pp.407-417