News from the International Town & Gown Association

ECONOMY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Another College Town Weathering the Recession
LOGAN, UT -Utah State Today reports on USU's influence on the Logan-Cache Valley economy contributing to a relatively healthy local economy. USU President Stan L. Albrecht is quoted saying that, "The slump that defines recession meets a formidable opponent in college communities because the opportunities created through higher education defy recession". USU economists have estimated that USU is directly or indirectly responsible for 20 to 25 percent of all the income and the area. This high percentage of income represents nearly $1 billion of expenditures that can be directly or indirectly connected to USU. Albrecht said the heart and soul of USU as a land-grant university is defined by its connections between commerce and knowledge. USU's mission of providing access and opportunity for all students desiring an education is just as applicable in the career world. Access to education brings opportunities for learning. Knowledge, in turn, provides students with access to good jobs and opportunities to improve their lives and the lives of others. In a larger sense, access and opportunity also applies to the community that houses the university, he said. A strong state university provides access to innovation and a well-educated work force. This inevitably leads to greater opportunities for local success and prosperity and is most likely the reason why communities that lie in the shadow of such institutions enjoy a greater degree of protection from the full exposure of economic recessions.

Best Places To Do Business-Texas and College Towns

Views and News, a home select team blog of world press, provides the venue for the co-author of a recent study of "the best places to do business" to discuss current conditions and projections for the nation for "the least worst" economies. Again, Texas and college towns top the list. Topic headings include: Texas as the big winner, College Towns as Emerging Hubs, Economic and Power Shifts, and More Promising Places.

Sports Condominiums Offer Unique Economic Opportunities
Wall Street Journal's, Market Watch, posts a press release from Blacksburg, Virginia on how college towns offer unique opportunities, such as "condotels", luxury sports condominiums, that can bolster economies, real estate sales and university coffers.

Study outlines SLU's economic impact
HAMMOND, LA - The Advocate reports on the findings of an economic impact studied just released for Southeastern Louisiana University. The study states that SLU produces a more than $565 million annual financial impact on the state. The university supports more than 5,700 non-university jobs in addition to the 1600 university employees. Spending by the faculty and staff adds almost $99 million to the economy, while spending by the university's 15,000 students adds an additional $237 million to the state and local economy. SLU faculty and staff helped their communities, too, by volunteering 69,000 hours last year, while students put in 254,000 hours. Visitors to the university, including 787,000 people who attended events had a $101 million effect on the state's economy in areas from food to lodging. Applied Technology Research Corp. of Baton Rouge consulted for SLU and the University of Louisiana System for the report.