Rhona C. Free Eastern Connecticut State University

Rhona C. Free (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame) is a Professor of Economics at Eastern Connecticut State University. Her primary teaching responsibilities are in the areas of labor and political economics. She was honored in 2004 as a Professor of the Year National Winner from The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. She was a founding board member of a statewide organization devoted to excellence in teaching (Connecticut Consortium for Learning and Teaching) and another focused on service learning (Connecticut Campus Compact). Dr. Free has been instrumental in the development of several of Eastern Connecticut State University’s most innovative and successful programs, including efforts to improve academic advising and freshman orientation. In 2001, she received ECSU’s Distinguished Faculty Member Award. She is the author of textbook supplements and a consultant in the development of texts on the principles of economics and has presented on such topics as teaching with technology, introductory economics as a vehicle for freshman retention, and accommodating students with learning disabilities.