Jihui (Susan) Chen, Second Vice President

Jihui (Susan) Chen is a Professor of Economics and the Undergraduate Program Director in the Department of Economics at Illinois State University (ISU). Chen is an applied microeconomist with research interests in industrial organization and economics of education. She has published over 20 articles on pricing strategies in both online and traditional markets, among others. Her most recent research examines the impacts of COVID-19 on the airline industry and the gender gap in the labor market for Economics Ph.D.s. Chen is also passionate about student success. She has supervised over 150 student research projects and actively engages in co-curricular activities and programs. She chaired a Task Force when ISU participated in the Undergraduate Women in Economics (UWE) Challenge from 2015 to 2017, an initiative led by Nobel Laureate Claudia Goldin of Harvard University. Chen later created the ISU chapter of the UWE and has since served as the Advisor. Recognized for her contributions to teaching excellence, Chen was recently named an Outstanding College Teaching Award recipient. Prior to joining ISU, she was an Assistant Professor at the College of Business & Public Administration at the University of North Dakota. Chen received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Business Economics and Public Policy from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.