Rong Chen , Ph.D.
Associate Professor
College of Human Development Culture and Media
(973) 275-2823
Email
Jubilee Hall
Room 421
Rong Chen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
College of Human Development Culture and Media
Rong Chen teaches courses related to public policy in higher education, research design, statistical methods and survey analysis. Her major research interest areas focus on education policy, finance of higher education, college access, choice and degree attainment, STEM education, educational equity and international higher education. Chen's recent research projects include studies of STEM major choice, impact of financial aid on education opportunity, role of institutions in improving college student degree attainment, undergraduate debt burden and its impact on post-college outcomes and internationalization of the American faculty. She has published articles in Journal of Higher Education, Research in Higher Education and Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research.
Chen has been serving as the director of the Higher Education Graduate Programs since 2023, a position she previously held from 2013 to 2016. She earned her doctorate in higher education from the University of Michigan, and previously served as a faculty member at Beijing International Study University in China. Chen has received research grants from the Spencer Foundation, American Educational Research Association (AERA)/Association for Institutional Research (AIR), and has been selected as a National Academy of Education (NAE)/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow. She serves on the editorial board of Research in Higher Education, as well as the Journal of Postsecondary Student Success.
Education
- Ph.D., University of Michigan
- M.A., University of Michigan
Scholarship
- "Effects of Federal Loans on College Student Retention, Transfer, and Dropout" Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, and Practice. Forthcoming.
- "Gender and Loans: Understanding Differences in Student Debt Burden". Journal of Student Financial Aid. Vol. 52 : Iss. 2 , Article 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55504/0884-9153.1812
- "Examining Motivator Factors of STEM Undergraduate Persistence through Two-Factor Theory". Journal of Higher Education, 93(4), 532-558, 2022
- "AP STEM Course-Taking and College STEM Major Selection: An Examination of the Relationship and How It Differs by Gender and Race/Ethnicity". Journal of Engineering Education. 111(3), 512-530, 2022
- "A National Study on Relationship between Programmatic Factors and Athletic Training Education BOC Pass Rates". Athletic Training Education Journal. 17 (1), 37-45. 2022
- "The Effects of Undergraduate Debt on Graduate School Application and Enrollment". Research in Higher Education, 62(3): 1-28. 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-020-09610-y
- "Determinants for STEM Major Choice among Students Beginning Community College". Community College Review. DOI: 10.1177/0091552120917214 48(3). 2020
- "Factors that Influence Job Choice at the Time of Graduation for Physician Assistant Students". Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 30(1):34-40, 2019
- "Educational Opportunity Fund Program and Community College Student Retention". Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, and Practice, DOI: 10.1177/1521025118780329. 22(3): 384-406, 2018
- "Understanding the determinants of debt burden among college graduates", Journal of Higher Education, 85(4), 565-598, July 2014
- "The American faculty in an age of globalization: Predictors of internationalization of work content and professional networks". Higher Education. Springer. 66(3):325-340., January 2013
- "Institutional characteristics and college student dropout risks: A multilevel event history analysis", Research in Higher Education, 53(5), 487-505, October 2011
- "State Financial Policies and Student Persistence at First Institutions: A National Study", Journal of Higher Education, 82(5), 629- 660, September 2011
- "Investigating the Impact of Financial Aid on Student Dropout Risks: Racial and Ethnic Differences", Journal of Higher Education, 81(2), 179-208., April 2010
- Access to higher education in China: Transition to mass higher education (book chapter), In E. St. John (Ed.), "Globalization and Social Justice", AMS Press, Inc., January 2010
- "Exploring the Effects of Financial Aid on the Gap in Student Dropout Risks by Income Level". Research in Higher Education, 49(1): 1-18., 2008
- "Financial Aid and Student Dropouts in Higher Education: A Heterogeneous Research Approach". In J. C. Smart (Ed.) Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. XXIII: 209-240. The Netherlands: Springer. 2008
Accomplishments
Grants
- Spencer Foundation, 2022-2023
- Seton Hall University Research Council, 2021
- Research Grant from American Educational Research Association (AERA)/ National Science Foundation (NSF)/ National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Co-PI: Peter R. Bahr. 2012-2014
- National Academy of Education (NAE)/ Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2011-2013
- Seton Hall University Research Council, 2011
- Research Grant from the Association for Institutional Research (AIR)/ National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC), 2010-2011
- Seton Hall University Research Council, 2009
- Dissertation Grant from American Educational Research Association (AERA)/ National Science Foundation (NSF)/ National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2005-2006
- Dissertation Fellowship from the Association for Institutional Research (AIR)/ National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC), 2005-2006
Awards
- Researcher of the Year award. College of Human Development, Media, and Culture, Seton Hall University. 2024
- Teacher of the Year Award. College of Education, Seton Hall University. 2019
- Researcher of the Year, Seton Hall University College of Education and Human Services, 2013
- Provost's Faculty Scholarship Award, Seton Hall University, 2009 & 2010
- The Stanley E. and Ruth B. Dimond Best Dissertation Award, School of Education, University of Michigan, 2008