Post by sader1970 on Jun 13, 2023 8:02:42 GMT -5
An opinion piece in the T&G from all the area college presidents including Vince Rougeau. Discuss 
www.telegram.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2023/06/11/worcester-higher-education-strong-force-in-regions-economy/70269822007/
Guest column: Keep town and gown bonds strong in Worcester
Mary Lou Ratelle, Greg Weiner, David Fithian, Vincent Rougeau, Richard Lissard, Glenn Sulmasy, Anthony P. Monaco and Grace Wang
It is hard to imagine the Worcester region without the colleges and universities that are so integral to life here. A new economic impact study further underscores and quantifies the substantial contribution of the schools – and their students, faculty, and staff – to the economy of Central Massachusetts in revenue and jobs.
An independent study of the economic impact of the 59 private colleges and universities that comprise the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts, which includes the eight private higher education institutions in Central Massachusetts, has quantified just how much these nonprofit institutions contribute to our state as a whole – and to our region.
Econsult Solutions Inc. analyzed impact in terms of economic output, total jobs created and tax revenues generated from member institutions’ annual operations and large-scale capital projects, as well as from spending by students and visitors, and the induced impacts of alumni earnings.
The report estimates that private higher education has an overall economic impact of $3 billion in Central Massachusetts every year. Direct institutional spending alone pumps $900 million into our regional economy through private higher education spending with local suppliers and vendors, and employee spending across the economic spectrum, driving the creation of 9,300 regional jobs. An analysis of student spending on everything from books to entertainment to clothing shows yearly totals of $50 million in on- and off-campus housing, $38 million in food, $16 million on transportation and $38 million on retail – for a total annual sum of $142 million.
But it is not just direct spending by our students that is driving the economy. Our schools also attract thousands of visitors to Worcester and the region for campus tours, alumni days, sporting events, cultural occasions and parents’ weekends. That economic activity annually pumps $11 million into the community economy, including $3 million in lodging, $6 million in food and $1 million in retail.
On-campus construction provides jobs and large-scale spending on equipment, materials, engineering and architecture. ESI estimates that annually the region sees $100 million in capital spending, driving 1,200 jobs, $80 million in pay and $240 million in overall economic impact.
Examples of recent construction include the opening of Assumption University’s Richard J. and Sophia Catrambone Health Sciences Building, a new state-of-the-art 41,000-square-foot facility featuring classrooms, simulations labs and clinical exam rooms.
Clark University is completing the 70,000-square-foot Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design in fall 2023, an interdisciplinary building that will be a hub for innovation and collaboration and will house the Becker School of Design & Technology and other programs.
At Nichols College, campus updates have been completed, including the new Lombard Dining Hall and revitalization of college-owned and -operated Dudley Hill Golf.
These projects employed local workers, used locally purchased materials and put millions of dollars into our community.
Certainly, the jobs we create, the taxes we pay, the revenue we generate and the other economic benefits are vitally important. But the impact goes far beyond that. Our institutions provide scholarships and internships to local students; we cultivate the arts, host events, provide open space and other vital services to the community.
For example, the College of the Holy Cross opened the Prior Performing Arts Center, a dynamic 84,000-square-foot incubator for multidisciplinary learning and creativity open for all in the community.
Hospitals and clinics at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, which is Grafton’s second-largest employer, bring 37,000 patients and their owners to the region annually.
Our schools improve the quality of life in the communities in which we reside. For example, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences provides Greater Worcester with the Pharmacy Outreach Program, where residents receive comprehensive reviews of their medications and prescription drug coverage as well as assistance with accessing affordable prescription drug programs.
Anna Maria College was awarded nearly $4 million in federal funding to support nursing education, social work, and mental health first aid for public safety professionals.
At WPI, research and innovation have led to concrete economic impacts, including – recently – three startups, 11 patents and seven license agreements. Today WPI has an interest in 22 companies that employ 335 people and have raised more than $1 billion.
As a region, we need to keep these numbers, and the role of private higher education in the life of our communities, front of mind as we make policy. At a time when we are facing dire predictions about the challenges of a shrinking workforce, demographic shifts, and engaged in ongoing dialogue about the essential and evolving contributions of higher education, we can’t take what we have for granted. The bonds between town and gown need to remain strong – for the good of both.
Mary Lou Ratelle is president of Anna Maria College; Greg Weiner is president of Assumption University; David Fithian is president of Clark University; Vincent Rougeau is president of the College of the Holy Cross; Richard Lissard is president of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Glenn Sulmasy is president of Nichols College; Anthony P. Monaco is president of Tufts University; and Grace Wang is president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Mary Lou Ratelle, Greg Weiner, David Fithian, Vincent Rougeau, Richard Lissard, Glenn Sulmasy, Anthony P. Monaco and Grace Wang
It is hard to imagine the Worcester region without the colleges and universities that are so integral to life here. A new economic impact study further underscores and quantifies the substantial contribution of the schools – and their students, faculty, and staff – to the economy of Central Massachusetts in revenue and jobs.
An independent study of the economic impact of the 59 private colleges and universities that comprise the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts, which includes the eight private higher education institutions in Central Massachusetts, has quantified just how much these nonprofit institutions contribute to our state as a whole – and to our region.
Econsult Solutions Inc. analyzed impact in terms of economic output, total jobs created and tax revenues generated from member institutions’ annual operations and large-scale capital projects, as well as from spending by students and visitors, and the induced impacts of alumni earnings.
The report estimates that private higher education has an overall economic impact of $3 billion in Central Massachusetts every year. Direct institutional spending alone pumps $900 million into our regional economy through private higher education spending with local suppliers and vendors, and employee spending across the economic spectrum, driving the creation of 9,300 regional jobs. An analysis of student spending on everything from books to entertainment to clothing shows yearly totals of $50 million in on- and off-campus housing, $38 million in food, $16 million on transportation and $38 million on retail – for a total annual sum of $142 million.
But it is not just direct spending by our students that is driving the economy. Our schools also attract thousands of visitors to Worcester and the region for campus tours, alumni days, sporting events, cultural occasions and parents’ weekends. That economic activity annually pumps $11 million into the community economy, including $3 million in lodging, $6 million in food and $1 million in retail.
On-campus construction provides jobs and large-scale spending on equipment, materials, engineering and architecture. ESI estimates that annually the region sees $100 million in capital spending, driving 1,200 jobs, $80 million in pay and $240 million in overall economic impact.
Examples of recent construction include the opening of Assumption University’s Richard J. and Sophia Catrambone Health Sciences Building, a new state-of-the-art 41,000-square-foot facility featuring classrooms, simulations labs and clinical exam rooms.
Clark University is completing the 70,000-square-foot Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design in fall 2023, an interdisciplinary building that will be a hub for innovation and collaboration and will house the Becker School of Design & Technology and other programs.
At Nichols College, campus updates have been completed, including the new Lombard Dining Hall and revitalization of college-owned and -operated Dudley Hill Golf.
These projects employed local workers, used locally purchased materials and put millions of dollars into our community.
Certainly, the jobs we create, the taxes we pay, the revenue we generate and the other economic benefits are vitally important. But the impact goes far beyond that. Our institutions provide scholarships and internships to local students; we cultivate the arts, host events, provide open space and other vital services to the community.
For example, the College of the Holy Cross opened the Prior Performing Arts Center, a dynamic 84,000-square-foot incubator for multidisciplinary learning and creativity open for all in the community.
Hospitals and clinics at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, which is Grafton’s second-largest employer, bring 37,000 patients and their owners to the region annually.
Our schools improve the quality of life in the communities in which we reside. For example, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences provides Greater Worcester with the Pharmacy Outreach Program, where residents receive comprehensive reviews of their medications and prescription drug coverage as well as assistance with accessing affordable prescription drug programs.
Anna Maria College was awarded nearly $4 million in federal funding to support nursing education, social work, and mental health first aid for public safety professionals.
At WPI, research and innovation have led to concrete economic impacts, including – recently – three startups, 11 patents and seven license agreements. Today WPI has an interest in 22 companies that employ 335 people and have raised more than $1 billion.
As a region, we need to keep these numbers, and the role of private higher education in the life of our communities, front of mind as we make policy. At a time when we are facing dire predictions about the challenges of a shrinking workforce, demographic shifts, and engaged in ongoing dialogue about the essential and evolving contributions of higher education, we can’t take what we have for granted. The bonds between town and gown need to remain strong – for the good of both.
Mary Lou Ratelle is president of Anna Maria College; Greg Weiner is president of Assumption University; David Fithian is president of Clark University; Vincent Rougeau is president of the College of the Holy Cross; Richard Lissard is president of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Glenn Sulmasy is president of Nichols College; Anthony P. Monaco is president of Tufts University; and Grace Wang is president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
