Econ Professor Wins Top Research Award

Dr. William C. Wood of the Economic Department at James Madison University (JMU) has been chosen to receive the top research award given by the National Association of Economic Educators (NAEE). Wood will receive the Henry H. Villard Research Award, which the award charter says was “established to encourage and recognize outstanding contributions in economic education research.” NAEE will confer the award on Wood in Phoenix, AZ October 6 at the organization’s annual meeting, jointly held with the Council for Economic Education. 

NAEE’s mission is “to be the premier professional organization advancing the growth, service and recognition of economic educators as they expand economic and financial literacy.” The Council for Economic Education is the leading organization in the United States that focuses on the economic and financial education of students from kindergarten through high school. 

As a faculty member at City University in New York, Villard was co-founder and first editor of The Journal of Economic Education. Wood serves as professor of economics and Director of the Center for Economic Education in the JMU College of Business. The Center is directly supported by Shenandoah Valley Economic Education Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting economic literacy in the Valley. 

Wood’s publications in economic education span a period of more than 30 years, beginning with “The Educational Potential of News Coverage of Economics,” published in the field’s leading journal, The Journal of Economic Education, in 1985. Wood has since published scholarly work with 22 different coauthors, four of whom were JMU undergraduates in honors or independent study programs. His work includes the U.S. economic history textbook Economic Episodes in American History (with Mark C. Schug) and an antitrust study published by The MIT Press (with Kenneth G. Elzinga). His work has appeared in outlets as diverse as The Journal of Risk and Insurance, Public Choice, and The Wall Street Journal. 

Wood received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Virginia in 1980 and has been at JMU since 1989.