Earlier this week, North Carolina’s institutions of higher education released a study indicating a $63.5 billion economic impact in the state. Today, Western North Carolina’s colleges and universities point to the regional impact in this release from UNC Asheville:
Public higher education institutions in Western North Carolina are responsible for injecting at least $2 billion into the state economy during the 2012-13 fiscal year through the combined impact of payroll, operational, construction and research expenditures by universities and community colleges, and the spending habits of their students, visitors and alumni. Of this $2 billion, roughly 75 percent or $1.52 billion stays right here in the 11 counties of WNC (Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Swain and Transylvania).
Those are among the findings of a comprehensive study conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) to examine the impact of higher education on North Carolina. The EMSI study examined the combined impact of the University of North Carolina system, North Carolina Community College system and private institutions, and also assessed the impact of individual UNC campuses, private colleges and community colleges on their local economies.
For the full study, click here.
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