Community college-commissioned study shows schools have impact

BYLINE: Patty Tascarella

Community colleges make an annual impact of $3.4 billion to the 12-county southwest Pennsylvania area, according to a first-time study commissioned by five local community colleges.

"In Pennsylvania, we're really just beginning to understand the role of community colleges as part of the economy," said Suzanne Walsh, a program officer for The Heinz Endowments, which funded the bulk of the $50,000 study. "It's one thing for their presidents to say, 'We're a key part of growing the economy,' but another to have the data to back it up."

Most of the total -- $2.7 billion -- comes from the income of locally employed former students. About 88 percent of graduates remain in the region.

Another $62 million is due to college operations and capital spending, which surprised Walsh.

"A lot of times, we don't think about our educational institutions this way," she said.

The five colleges involved in the project were: Community College of Allegheny County, Community College of Beaver County, Butler County Community College, Westmoreland County Community College and Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. Presidents of the schools determined last year that a joint study would be a powerful tool for capital campaigns, other support and marketing efforts. They retained ccBenefits Inc., a Moscow, Idaho-based firm specializing in community colleges, to do the research. The coverage area spanned 12 counties: Mercer, Lawrence, Butler, Beaver, Allegheny, Washington, Greene, Fayette, Westmoreland, Indiana, Cambria and Somerset.

Anna Weitz, president of Johnstown-based PHCC, said conducting the study as a group will increase the colleges' visibility.

"In western Pennsylvania, we're collectively less well known, less on the public's radar screen, than community colleges are in other states," Weitz said.

"We wanted to demonstrate that we are a good investment, and the return to the taxpayers -- in terms of the economic contributions we make -- is well worth the sponsorships."

CCAC President Stewart Sutin said the study is valuable for fundraising efforts by the schools and also provides important information to their stakeholders, such as employers, governments, economic development groups and students. CCAC plans to launch a capital campaign once it finds a successor for Sutin, who announced plans to leave last summer.

The economic impact data will help CCAC and the other colleges frame their case for fundraising, said John Cathey, managing director for Teeter Associates Inc., a Greensburg-based consultancy specializing in nonprofit fundraising.

"The data ... shows that community colleges really pay their way," he said.

Learning something new

Some findings of a study on the economic impact of local community colleges: For every $1 appropriated by state and local government, taxpayers see a cumulative return of $5.70 over the course of the students' working career. Taxpayers see a 23 percent rate of return on community college support. Students see a 19 percent annual rate of return on their educational investment.