Jeffery L. Degner, Ph.D.

Dr. Jeffery Degner, dean of the School of Business & Innovation and associate professor of economics, has a passion for shepherding people toward a love of Christ and the discernment of the truth in the midst of a culture that rejects the Lord Jesus. He built a successful retail career for five years while completing an undergraduate dual major in economics and history, before joining the teaching profession at the secondary school level. While teaching high school students, he served as an adjunct faculty member at Lake Michigan College beginning in 2005.

Degner first joined the Cornerstone team in the winter of 2018 as an adjunct faculty member. He took on a full-time role as an assistant professor of economics the following fall. Currently, he serves as dean of Cornerstone University’s School of Business & Innovation and an associate professor of economics.

Degner holds a dual-major undergraduate degree in Economics and History from Western Michigan University, where he also obtained his M.A. in applied economics. His Ph.D. was earned under the direction of Jorg Guido Hülsmann from the Universite d’Angers in France. His dissertation entitled “The Family in the Inflation Culture” was noted as “remarkable for the powerful synthesis it builds on existing work, for the originality of the thesis … and for the rigor of its econometric studies.” Throughout his tenure at Cornerstone, he has presented his research with the Mises Institute, at the University of Paris-Sorbonne, and at Makenzie University in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In his spare time, Degner enjoys playing the drums, fishing with friends, reading and spending time with his wife and two daughters.

“The greatest command is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind and soul. Christian higher education, and Cornerstone, in particular, provides students the opportunity to love the Lord with their mind in an especially powerful way. It’s my joy and goal to shepherd young adults to receive the Lord’s love and care through the truth of His Word and through an ever-increasing understanding of His world.”