This letter ran in today’s Daily Item (our local paper).
As we welcome thousands of college students back to the Susquehanna Valley, it is a good time to reflect on the ways our higher-education institutions and our communities make each other stronger.
Students on our campuses benefit from experiential learning opportunities throughout the region including internships, service-learning projects, and research in support of public and private entities ranging from environmental analyses to business feasibility studies. Many of them also work in our surrounding communities.
Students and their families patronize local retailers, restaurants, and hotels. These offerings make our campuses more attractive destinations, and many of our neighboring businesses thrive because of the patronage associated with our campus communities.
Higher education is the 5th largest sector of Pennsylvania’s economy. The Commonwealth is the number 2 importer of college students in the country, and the educational offerings across the state are among the most diverse and best in the nation.
Pennsylvania boasts the state-owned PASSHE system, the state-affiliated institutions (Penn State, Pitt, etc.), numerous community colleges, and arguably the most impressive collection of independent (private) colleges and universities in the U.S.
The role of independent higher education in Pennsylvania is unique. These institutions educate 53% of all 4-year degree-seeking students in PA, 46% of all Pell recipients, 52% of all working-age adult students, and 55% of all minority students. They educate 69% of our nurses, 45% of our teachers, and provide 58% of the STEM degrees in the state.
This summer, AICUP (The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania) released a new economic impact study assessing the financial benefits the independent higher education sector has on the Commonwealth.
This report, independently prepared by the Parker Strategy Group, shows that these 80+ schools have an annual economic impact of $29 billion, which includes $1.5 billion in generated state and local taxes, $5.3 billion in annual student spending, and over 195,000 jobs being supported and sustained throughout the state.
In our own back yard, the AICUP schools are Bucknell, Lycoming, and Susquehanna. Through direct spending and that of our employees and students, these three institutions have an economic impact of over $755 million, and they generate over $38 million in state and local tax revenue each year. We all benefit.
As a university leader, I am so grateful for the support and partnerships of our surrounding community, and we should all be grateful when each new school year begins.
Jonathan D. Green, President, Susquehanna University