Rate My Professor Maryanne Clifford

Maryanne Clifford serves as Professor and Department Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance at Eastern Connecticut State University. She earned a Ph.D. and an M.S. in Economics from the University of Kentucky and an A.B. in Economics with a minor in History from Smith College. Prior to her appointment at Eastern Connecticut State University, Dr. Clifford was a faculty member at the University of North Dakota. Her research interests include Technology, Growth, and Development; Economics of Education; and International Trade and Finance. She teaches courses in International Economics, Public Economics, and Urban and Regional Economics. Recently, her scholarly focus has centered on the economics of education, particularly the role of ethnicity and gender in the monetary and non-monetary rewards associated with higher education.

Dr. Clifford's publications address labor economics, international trade, and innovative teaching methods. Key works include "Effect of Major Field of Study on Differences by Race and Gender in Expected Starting Salaries of Bachelor’s Degree Recipients in Connecticut," published in the National Association of African American Studies and Affiliates 2008 Monograph Series (with Jennifer Brown and Rhona Free); "Differences by race and gender in expected starting salaries of bachelor degree recipients in Connecticut: Effects of major field of study," in Negro Educational Review, Volume 58, Fall/Winter 2007, pp. 233-252 (with Rhona Free and Jennifer Brown); and "Spillovers Through Imports and Exports," in New York Economic Review, Volume 36, Fall 2005, pp. 29-49 (with Robert Quinn). Recent contributions encompass "Teaching Economics Using SimCity BuildIt Video Game," Journal of Economics Teaching, 2025 (with Nicolas Simon); "Increasing Student Expenses on Course Materials: Evidence from a Small Liberal Arts Public State University," Critical Education, 2025 (with Nicolas Simon); and "Let the Students Talk. Student Perception of Automatic Textbook Billing in a Small Liberal Art Public State University," Journal of Current Scholarship for Social Research, 2024 (with Nicolas Simon). At Eastern Connecticut State University, she chairs the University Curriculum Committee and previously served as University Senate President. Her students have advanced to graduate programs at institutions such as the University of Notre Dame.