KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas Independent Colleges Association announced the results of a study it commissioned Wednesday, which found the economic impact of the association’s 20-member schools was $1.1 billion annually.
The study — which was created and performed by independent researchers at Parker Philips, according to the release — examined fiscal year 2021.
“The private, nonprofit colleges and universities of Kansas play an essential role in growing Kansas’ economy — through talent development and opening the doors of educational opportunity for the citizens of Kansas,” Matt Lindsey, president of Kansas Independent College Association, said in a statement. “It’s also important to note that through their annual operations and the impact of alumni after graduation, our colleges and universities have a significant impact on their local economies and the state as a whole.”
The report includes seven Kansas City-area colleges and universities — Baker University, Benedictine College, Cleveland University-Kansas City, Donnelly College, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Ottawa University and the University of Saint Mary — whose combined economic impact was estimated to be more $595 million.
The four schools with the highest estimated economic impact — Ottawa ($166.6 million), Benedictine ($116.4 million), MNU ($84.8 million) and Baker ($82.7 million) — and seven of the top nine — including No. 7 USM ($63.4 million) and No. 9 Cleveland ($55.7 million) — are located in the KC area.
The seven local institutions also support or sustain nearly 2,800 jobs with more than $36.2 million in state and local tax impacts, according to Parker Philips’ research.
Parker Philips is a Pennsylvania-based consulting firm, which produces a wide range of studies for government, corporate and nonprofit clients.
“KICA schools contribute to the local and statewide economy through expenditures on operations, capital projects, wages, the spending of students off-campus, and the spending of visitors to campus,” according to the report. “The direct, day-to-day expenditures of KICA schools, combined with the student and visitor spending, cause a ripple effect throughout the statewide economy.”
The study pegged the direct economic impact at nearly $661 million with more than $216 million in both indirect and induced economic impact.
Overall, the 20 schools statewide generated $1.093 billion in direct, indirect or induced economic impact and supported or sustained nearly 8,300 jobs.
More than 5,700 of those jobs are directly related to the schools’ operations as well as student and/or visitor spending, according to the study.
At those 20 member schools, nearly 57% of the 22,724 enrolled students are Kansas residents and nearly 67% are student-athletes with small-college athletics providing “year-round opportunities for local community members and alumni to visit campus and patronize local businesses while supporting their team,” according to the report.
The study also found that 111,535 of the schools’ nearly quarter-million alumni worldwide stay in Kansas to work, generating an additional $1.9 billion in economic impact.
“Each of the colleges and universities of KICA are critical partners in each of the communities in which they are located,” the study concluded. “Through institutional operations and capital spending and the spending of students and visitors, KICA schools act as economic engines for their communities and more broadly, the state of Kansas.”
Estimated economic impact, Kansas City-area KICA schools
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