By Bill Beggs Jr.
Academia and business are hand in glove throughout the St. Louis region.
To get a handle on our assets in higher education, Commerce asked chancellors, presidents and directors about the role their institutions of higher learning play in regional economic development. Some were very specific about financial amounts. Others provided anecdotal information regarding what types of talent they add to the workforce, whether able executive assistants or nanotechnologists. A couple universities are affiliated with major medical centers; others provide the backing for IT and life-sciences incubators.
Region-wide, colleges and universities employ approximately 32,000 people. These institutions generate economic activity that ripples through the regional economy. The following economic impact estimates from the RCGA are only for institutional operations and exclude the impact of capital construction and student spending, which also can be significant.
Day in and day out, colleges and universities purchase goods and services like power, telecommunications, and professional services, which generates more than 6,800 jobs at other St. Louis businesses.
Further, university employees earn an
estimated $1.3 billion per year, or an average of $40,635 per employee. Employee household spending supports another 11,500 jobs in
businesses such as food stores, restaurants, retailers, real estate agencies, and other personal services. This brings the total annual employment impact of post-secondary educational institutions to more than 50,000 jobs.
In dollar terms, the total annual direct impact of colleges and universities in the St. Louis region is estimated to be over $2.2 billion. The indirect impact from operations and employee household spending generate another $2.1 billion in the region, bringing the total annual economic impact of college and university operations to more than $4.3 billion.
For the purpose of this month’s cover story, we asked 22 men and women to provide their perspectives on the economic impact of
each institution on the region, whether direct or indirect. What’s more,
we asked them to point out unique attributes, historical or current,
that make their institution unique. Alphabetically, our story is told by:
Broadcast Center
Broadcast Center has been providing professional training in the art of communications for the past 36 years. We pride ourselves on our ability to offer the best-trained broadcasters to TV and radio stations throughout St. Louis and the Midwest. Our goal is to offer students employment opportunities in the region, which stimulates growth economically for them and the region.
Currently, there are about 75 to 100 graduates working in the metropolitan area. Their training provides them the opportunity to increase their own salaries, therefore living and spending money in the region.
Chamberlain
College of Nursing
For 120 years, Chamberlain College of Nursing has been producing clinically proficient, highly qualified, and compassionate nursing professionals prepared to meet the region’s increasing healthcare needs.
St. Louis, and Missouri as a whole, are experiencing a shortage of nurses, and about 70 percent of nursing schools throughout the state are turning away qualified students due to a lack of space. However, Chamberlain is helping by continually increasing access to education for the next generation of nursing professionals, whether at our St. Louis campus or online.
Our nurses and students also contribute their time and talents to a number of initiatives in the region, such as Nurses for Newborns.
Chamberlain staff and faculty meet regularly with our healthcare partners in the St. Louis area to ensure that our educational programs are meeting their needs as employers.
Columbia College-St. Louis
Columbia College-St. Louis serves non-traditional learners who are working full-time and need a flexible evening and/or online program to earn a degree and advance their careers. Women comprise 70 percent of the student body, 60 percent are African-American, the average age is 35, and the student population ranges from 18 to 60+. Advanced education of underserved populations contributes to the region’s economic development.
The college offers the lowest tuition cost in the St. Louis area for a four-year degree in business, criminal justice, human services, psychology, management information systems, or general studies. The cost of all in-seat three-credit courses is $510 ($170 per credit hour). Columbia College makes a four-year college degree affordable to a diverse group of people.
Columbia College was founded in 1851 as Christian College to educate women when no other higher education institution in Columbia, Mo., admitted women. In 1973, the college extended its reach to St. Louis when the first extended campus opened to serve military students.
East Central College, Union, Mo.
Through the Missouri Customized Training program, East Central College works with 31 companies located in 14 cities in our service area to provide more than $500,000 in training funds. In addition, through the New Jobs Training Program, East Central College has collaborated with Harman Becker Automotive Systems on four projects totaling $2 million.
In its 40 years of service, East Central College has provided its service area with hundreds of excellent registered nurses, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, and outstanding classroom teachers and administrators. In a positive way, we have touched the lives of virtually all who reside in our service area.
East Central College has the lowest tuition and fees of any public or private college in the state. Our primary goal is to keep our quality high and our price low.
Fontbonne University
Nearly 85 percent of Fontbonne graduates reside and work in greater St. Louis. They are committed citizens, and that has a direct and sustaining economic impact in our region.
We educate and graduate men and women who are life-long learners. As leaders who will serve a world in need, they understand that how you live your life is ultimately more important than how you earn your living. Our summative phrase for this philosophy of education is “Learn More. Be More.” It is rooted in both faith and reason, as well as the values of our founders and sponsors, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
Fontbonne has a diversity enrollment of nearly 39 percent of our 3,000 students, which ranks Fontbonne among the very highest in Missouri. We have a growing number of international students. Other marks of distinction are world-class programs in deaf education, speech-language pathology and fine arts. In terms of intercollegiate athletics, we have the only NCAA-sanctioned varsity lacrosse program in Missouri.
Harris-Stowe
State University
Harris-Stowe State University continues to reach record enrollment numbers. These students, in turn, graduate and are hired by the region’s most reputable corporations. Indeed, the tuition dollars paid to the University and the pool of talent that is being recruited are a testament to our contribution to the economic development of the St. Louis community.
In keeping with the state mandate given to the University, many metropolitan St. Louisans who would otherwise not have had such an opportunity now pursue a higher education in business administration, entrepreneurship development, and many others. We are developing graduates who remain in the community, work and raise their families here—and that cycle continues.
Our mission and our open enrollment policy allow us to offer services to urban youth that few, if any, other institutions in the metropolitan area are making available. Indeed, we pride ourselves on being the most affordable and accessible higher education option in the area, while remaining diverse and focusing on excellence on the part of our students and the faculty and staff who serve them.
Including its predecessor institutions, Harris-Stowe has been around for more than 150 years, entering the Missouri system of public higher education in 1979. The University is no longer just a teachers college; we offer many other professional programs. We have grown from one building to seven and a satellite campus in near South St. Louis; our enrollment has gone from 800 to more than 2,000; we have 12 degree programs from, initially, just one. We are collaborating in master’s degree programs involving three other major institutions of higher education in the area.
ITT Technical Institute, Arnold, Mo.
ITT Technical Institute provides trained Information Technology, Electronics Technology, Computer Drafting & Design, and Criminal Justice graduates to fill professional positions offered by the region’s various companies.
We provide many individuals the opportunity to start or enhance a career, which is the single most important contribution ITT Tech makes to the region.
ITT Technical Institute offers numerous associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs at two St. Louis area campuses. ITT Tech also offers a wide variety of online associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree programs.
Lindenwood University,
St. Charles, Mo.
Lindenwood was the first regional university to successfully merge the tested principles of entrepreneurial business management with good practices in higher education, which has resulted in the school being the fastest growing four-year higher education institution in the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area.
Lindenwood has established 10 branch campuses in the region to provide a broad range of degree-completion and continuing education opportunities for aspiring members of the region’s workforce—with many of those programs being delivered in an accelerated evening format.
Compared to all other institutions in the state, Lindenwood graduates the most P-12 school administrators and the third-greatest number of certified teachers.
Logan College of
Chiropractic, Chesterfield, Mo.
The most recent statistical information available indicates that Logan College has a $48 million annual impact on the St. Louis economy through its faculty, staff, students and programs.
Through its eight satellite health centers, including three charitable clinics, Logan provides services to more than 5,000 patients annually. These health centers offer expert care through access to qualified specialists in orthopedics, neurology, sports injuries, pediatrics, ergonomics, radiology and nutrition. In FY 2005-2006, Logan’s senior interns treated 64,000 patients. In FY 2006-2007, the Logan College health centers participated in more than 500 free lectures and health fairs throughout the St. Louis area.
Logan’s most innovative curricular offering is a Master of Science degree in Sports Science and Rehabilitation under the Logan University banner.
General requirements for entry into the Logan’s Doctor of Chiropractic program are essentially the same prerequisites for enrollment in medical school. Founded in 1935, Logan College provides intensive, thorough training for students in chiropractic, including full knowledge of the structure and function of the body, and has graduated more than 9,000 doctors of chiropractic.
Maryville University
Some 85 percent of our students come from greater St. Louis and stay here when they graduate. We have a supportive network of over 13,000 alumni living and working in the region. This, coupled with a 94-percent placement rate for our graduates, means Maryville makes a big impact on the region’s workforce.
Maryville has educated thousands of teachers, healthcare professionals and business people for 135 years, helping to create a strong foundation for the region.
As a quintessential St. Louis institution, Maryville is one of the region’s best-kept secrets, with consistently high rankings year after year in retention rate, graduation rate, U.S. News & World Report rankings and career placement.
Maryville offers academic programs in business, science, fine arts, and education, although we are perhaps best known for our health professions programs. We offer one of only two accredited interior design programs in the region, and the only music therapy program.
McKendree University, Lebanon, Ill.
McKendree University’s total economic impact in FY 2007, based upon direct expenditures, was over $52 million in St. Clair County and over $94 million in Illinois. Nearly 700 resident students spend money in the region during an academic year. Over half of our alumni live and work in the Southern and Central Illinois region. McKendree is one of the region’s largest employers.
McKendree prepares business and education leaders who have had tremendous success throughout the Midwest. The school is a cultural and entertainment hub within the region. Faculty and staff offer their professional expertise in a number of fields. The school is known for extensive community service activity—many thousands of hours of volunteer work and projects.
The oldest college in Illinois, McKendree is celebrating its 180th year. Many senators and Rhodes Scholars are graduates. McKendree students, faculty and staff answered the nation’s call during the Civil War. The Illinois 117th was referred to as the “McKendree Regiment” because of the large number of McKendree people involved with the unit.
On a different note, Harry Statham has the most wins of any college basketball coach in the country, entering the 2008-09 season with 965 career victories.
University of Phoenix, St. Louis campus
University of Phoenix is addressing the shortages of qualified job candidates in critical areas by helping non-traditional, working students earn the knowledge and skills they need—on each student’s schedule—to compete in today’s global economy through a curriculum attuned to the current job market and taught by faculty members who hold a master’s or doctoral degree and who work in their field.
University of Phoenix has been dedicated to a sector of the population that holds great promise for the future of the country—the middle class. Studies have shown college-educated citizenry is beneficial to the overall health of society. An educated population results in higher employment rates, better health, and more civic engagement. These factors are all key to the University’s mission. Our graduates hold local positions in business, criminal justice and security, nursing, health care and technology. They also give back to the communities where we live and work.
A tax-paying institution, and the largest private and accredited university in the country, we now have four St. Louis area learning
centers. More than 3,000 St. Louisans currently take our classes. University of Phoenix was one of the first schools in the country to tailor its programs and services specifically for populations traditionally underserved by the U.S. system of higher education, including working minorities. University of Phoenix has awarded more degrees to Hispanic and African-American students than any other in the country.
St. Charles
Community College, Cottleville, Mo.
St. Charles Community College contributes significantly to the area’s economic development and workforce training. In 2007-08 alone, the SCC Workforce Development Department provided workforce training to more than 11,000 participants. The college partnered with 30 area companies to secure grants of nearly $2.7 million in Missouri customized training, new jobs, and job retention funds.
St. Charles Community College makes higher education accessible for all our citizens. And, for traditional students, the community college is the smart place to start. Each year, 25 percent of all St. Charles County high school graduating seniors enroll at SCC the following fall semester—more than attend any other college. Community colleges are colleges of access; nationally, nearly half of all beginning undergraduates begin at a community college.
Ours is a tobacco-free campus, providing a healthy working and learning environment for our employees, students, and visitors. SCC is one of a very small, but growing, number of colleges and universities nationwide to maintain a tobacco-free campus. In addition to providing a more-healthy learning environment, the tobacco-free policy prepares our students for future working environments where smoking most likely will not be permitted.
St. Louis
College of Pharmacy
More than 72 percent of practicing pharmacists in the metropolitan area are our alumni. Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare providers in the community, and they are an integral part of the patient care team. Our graduates, whether they work in retail, clinical settings, or as researchers, take great pride in serving and helping residents of this region. Their knowledge as the medication experts contributes ultimately to a healthier and more economically robust St. Louis.
Throughout our 144-year history, St. Louis College of Pharmacy has focused on improving health and the quality of life in St. Louis. Our faculty, residents and students work with underserved patients at St. Louis County clinics in Pine Lawn and South County. Our faculty collaborated with the regional asthma consortium to launch the Asthma Friendly Pharmacies program, and, to date, more than 40 area pharmacies provide advanced pharmaceutical care to patients with asthma. Working with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, our students host a safe Halloween event for area children with diabetes.
Our students come to us out of high school with average GPAs of 3.8 and the second-highest average ACT scores in Missouri. In many ways, we are like a liberal arts college, with more than 40 student organizations and NAIA intercollegiate athletics, but all of our students are majoring in pharmacy. Our challenging six-year program integrates the arts and sciences with the professional program leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.). Out of more than 100 colleges of pharmacy in the nation, we have the 12th largest Pharm.D. program and the 17th largest class of new pharmacists.
St. Louis
Community College
The total economic impact of St. Louis Community College is more than $3 billion. More than 110,000 students annually enroll for credit, non-credit and workforce training programs. In addition, STLCC has a workforce development division, Workforce and Community Development. WCD provides access to services beyond the traditional college setting by engaging students and workers in the workplace and in the community. In 2008, WCD trained more than 21,000 people representing 118,000 training hours through programs for skill enhancement; certification or re-certification; retraining for displaced workers; training and services to attract, retain or expand area businesses; and training to enhance the skills of incumbent workers for technology adaptation or career advancement.
As the largest higher-education institution in the region and the second-largest system in the state, STLCC offers affordable and accessible programs for students seeking a college degree, a productive career or retraining opportunities. Ninety percent of graduates stay in St. Louis, and 80 percent are employed within six months of graduation. Half of all households in the region have at least one person who has attended STLCC.
At the college’s first commencement ceremony in May 1964, two students graduated with associate degrees in liberal arts. In May 2008, 2,202 associate degrees and 490 certificates of proficiency and specialization were conferred.
STLCC is a founding member of MoBio and was the first community college in the state to offer an associate’s degree in biotechnology. The biotech program, started in 2000, offers students two options—a certificate of proficiency, which readies them for immediate employment in a lab, or an associate’s degree, which transfers to four-year institutions.
Saint Louis University
After nearly two centuries, SLU stands as a symbol of stability and leadership in
St. Louis as well as an anchor and a catalyst for the evolving progress and renaissance of the neighborhoods around it. SLU has invested more than $800 million in the community during the last two decades alone, is one of the region’s largest employers and attracts thousands of students, faculty and staff from across the United States and from around the world.
With a Jesuit mission unique to the area, SLU has educated generations of influential business, political, legal, medical and community leaders who have remained in the region and made significant contributions to the area’s prosperity. SLU also is a leader in the rebirth of Midtown St. Louis and Grand Center.
Founded in 1818 as the first institution of higher learning west of the Mississippi River, SLU is older than several other area landmarks, including the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis Zoo and St. Louis Art Museum. Also, the Camp Jackson Affair, the first armed confrontation in Missouri during the Civil War, took place on what is now the SLU campus.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
SIUE is a public university created to serve the people of this region. In 1957, only three percent of area residents had earned college degrees. Today, largely thanks to SIUE, 20 percent of the population in Madison and St. Clair counties has earned a four-year degree. Of our nearly 80,000 alumni, more than half live and work in Metropolitan
St. Louis, contributing to our local economy and comprising a large percentage of the area’s workforce.
We are a comprehensive university with a unique focus on health sciences, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing and post-first professional certificates in pharmacy and dental medicine.
The American Red Cross has decided to locate its new Blood Processing Center and National Testing Laboratory facility—and more than 500 jobs—in SIUE’s University Park. We were chosen because of our strategic location, strong business climate, highly skilled workforce and the potential for exceptional infrastructure. This will be a tremendous economic boost to the region.
Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville, Ill.
SWIC is the “college of choice” for workforce development in Southwestern Illinois and a major business in its own right. Eighty percent of alumni are employed in our district, and 65 percent of district employers have SWIC alumni in their workforce. With our 2,200 full- and part-time employees and normal operating expenses, we contribute over $51 million per year to the local economy.
The sheer power of a college education to create wealth for people and their communities is phenomenal. Northern Illinois University did a follow-up on our students from 1995. Those SWIC alumni benefited from a 56 percent earnings boost, which increased if they went on for a four-year degree. We also looked at what those 1995 alumni “paid back” to society: During those 10 years they accounted for $69.5 million in state taxes and $291 million in federal taxes.
SWIC has an unduplicated headcount enrollment of 26,000 students annually. As the only Illinois Police Academy south of Springfield, SWIC has trained most of the officers in Southwestern Illinois. One of our more famous students—Dr. Sandra Magnus, who attended what was then Belleville Area College in 1983—in November is taking a SWIC logo coin into space aboard the next NASA Endeavour flight. Proceeds from sales of replica coins will go toward scholarships to help future area students reach for the stars.
The University
of Missouri-St. Louis
UMSL is the largest supplier of college-educated workers in the region. The 56,000 UMSL alumni living and working in the area earn more than $3 billion a year. They’re the accountants, business executives, doctors, engineers, lawyers, nurses, teachers and scientists who make this region work. UMSL educates St. Louis.
UMSL also is an outstanding business partner—the primary example being Express Scripts Inc. When the Missouri-based company looked
to relocate its headquarters, UMSL worked with state and local officials to ensure that ESI would remain in the region. Today, ESI headquarters (and 2,500 employees) are located on the UMSL campus, adjacent to Interstate 70.
Related to this, and in keeping with the growing thrust of north St. Louis County as an information technology hub for the region, UMSL recently launched ITenterprises, located a mile east of the campus, which contains a high-performance computing center and an incubator for information technology start-up companies.
One of UMSL’s best-kept secrets is the fact that the university operates the Center for Emerging Technologies. Located in midtown St. Louis, the nonprofit center is a highly successful life-sciences incubator. It was established in 1994 as a partnership between UMSL and the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
Vatterott College,
St. Louis
For almost 40 years, Vatterott has educated future leaders in the trade and allied medical and legal fields. Our expanding network of more than 20 campuses—three in our hometown
of St. Louis—offers industry-forward training in more than 30 fields of study. Our partnerships with area businesses offer graduates superior placement opportunities as well as augment training the workforces of local industries.
As indicated by data from the Department of Labor, the need for qualified construction personnel will be profound in the next 10 years. Our accredited construction management technology program can prepare graduates to become integral assets in this field. The need in this field—as well as the supportive trades such as welding, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and plumbing—continues to grow. Even in a recession, these fields remain in demand.
With our recent change in leadership, we have stepped up our commitment to community betterment and involvement. Partnering with Cool Down / Heat Up St. Louis, Vatterott has supplied air conditioning units to at-risk residents.
We are very involved with our students. At each campus, students have access to a staff person dedicated to helping them overcome any hurdles in completing their training. Upon completion, they have another staff person dedicated to assisting them with job placement.
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University is the region’s largest research university, with research expenditures of about $500 million annually. In economic terms, most of the research expenditure stems from competitive research awards from federal agencies in response to proposals from talented faculty. Thus, the University brings financial resources to
St. Louis, and most of the research spending occurs in the region, resulting in many new jobs both at the University and in businesses that provide supplies for the research enterprise. Similarly, students and faculty drawn from outside the St. Louis region bring significant economic impact to the area.
Our students represent some of the world’s most talented young people, and we are fortunate to have them become members of the St. Louis community. Washington University has played a very important role in populating the professions in St. Louis in medicine, business, law, art, social work, engineering and architecture.
It is perhaps surprising that, while we recruit nationally and internationally and only 10 percent of our undergraduates come from Missouri, more than 30 percent of our graduates remain in the region to take up their lives and begin their careers.
Webster University, Webster Groves
The most recent RCGA economic impact summary estimates that Webster’s operations and student spending contribute more than $223.5 million to the St. Louis MSA. We also are proud of the role we played in redeveloping the Old Post Office, the centerpiece around which downtown’s rebirth is taking place.
Webster occupies a special niche that is captured in our mission: a commitment to delivering high-quality learning experiences that transform students for global citizenship and that contribute to the well-being of the community. With 130,000 alumni worldwide, Webster-educated nurses, teachers, professors, artists, police officers, communicators and business people—just to name a few—are making important contributions in St. Louis and around the world.
Since opening our first overseas campus 30 years ago in Geneva, Switzerland, Webster has become a recognized leader and innovator in global education. Webster’s international presence now includes distinct and full-fledged campuses in England, Austria, the Netherlands, China and Thailand. In addition, 40 percent of Webster undergraduates have studied abroad at one or more of our campuses, compared to only three percent of students at private North American colleges and universities.
In July, the Chronicle of Higher Education ranked Webster in the top five of its “2008 Great Colleges to Work For” list of national institutions with 500-2,400 employees.
| UM Presidentr on the Stump for 'Grow Me State' Initiative |
By Bill Beggs Jr.
The University of Missouri system is a great investment in the state of the State, says President Gary Forsee, who is “putting a strong shoulder” into an initiative to heighten awareness of the economic impact of higher education in general, and that of the UM system in particular.
The Grow Me State initiative’s steering committee has concluded that “we must develop a capital formation strategy and aggressively pursue its objectives. In addition, there are particular seed-stage funding gaps that we can and should immediately address.” (Visit www.growmestate.com.)
“Some compelling analysis last year showed that Missouri competes very well to win federal research dollars—but poorly in commercializing the results,” explains the RCGA’s Jay De Long, vice president, New Ventures & Capital Formation. “As a result, a statewide group suggested that Missouri pursue a ‘systems’ approach. That includes putting some ‘skin in the game’ to develop more technology employment from its research successes.”
For his part, Forsee is responsible for overseeing the regional economic development efforts at the four UM campuses—Kansas City, Columbia, Rolla and St. Louis. Forsee points out that it’s been no mean feat to transform a Missouri mindset from farming and manufacturing into that of business, biotech and IT.
In the St. Louis region, Forsee acknowledges that great strides are being made in biotech at UMSL’s Center for Emerging Technologies in midtown and at the 100-acre business, technology and research park on campus, where Express Scripts located its new national headquarters. While the state is a player in the biotech arena, Forsee asserts that the region should be more attractive to IT companies, as well. One reason for this is UMSL’s new ITe facility, a convergence center for the life-sciences company that needs both bench and high performance computing.
When we spoke with him, Forsee was in the car headed to a meeting with UMSL Chancellor Thomas George and others helping drive university involvement in economic development. This has been a focal point in Missouri for a long time, Forsee points out, what with enterprises such as Missouri Research Park just to the west of the Missouri River off I-64/U.S. 40. The park was the first of its kind in the state and is one of the oldest in the country, Forsee says.
But it’s a good bet that Forsee, who came to the chancellorship after a 30-plus year stint at Sprint/Nextel, most recently as the company’s CEO, is more business- and growth-minded than the average university topper. What’s good can be much better, and he intends to make that happen during his tenure.
For instance, there’s no reason IT shouldn’t be a major driver of the region’s economic engine: “St. Louis should be a hub,” he says. The region should be a hotbed for IT growth and development, able to move many more early-stage enterprises into the commercial arena—and much more quickly.
“It takes real energy to get them from that stage,” Forsee says. “We can provide the culture and the stimulus. Part of what I’m trumpeting is that we can provide those precious early-stage resources.”
The RCGA is singing from the same songbook.
“Moving university medical technology from ‘bench to bedside,’ or employing any innovation for that matter, takes a lot of players and focus,” De Long says. “The UM System ‘gets it’ that just funding research isn’t in Missouri’s best interest, and through the Grow Me State initiative, they have collaborated with all the economic development organizations to create jobs.” |
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