EDUCATION
Economic impact of
Kennesaw State University
reaches $1.6 billion
By Thomas Hartwell
thartwell@mdjonline.com
Kennesaw State University’s growth in recent years has placed
it among the top universities in the state, with an economic
impact of $1.6 billion, according to a recent report from the
University System of Georgia.
The total impact of all 26 USG institutions on their host
communities was $18.6 billion in fiscal 2020, the same year as
KSU’s reported impact. Kennesaw State’s economic impact in
fiscal 2020 marked a 1.8% increase from the previous year.
Of all the schools on the USG report, only three listed higher
economic impact than KSU:
Georgia Institute of Technology — $4 billion
University of Georgia — $2.96 billion
Georgia State University — $2.79 billion
The University System’s measure of economic impact reflects
direct and indirect spending that contributes to the regions
served by its colleges and universities, KSU officials said. The
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report evaluates economic impact by sales, value added, labor
income and number of jobs.
Of KSU’s fiscal 2020 impact, nearly $1.02 billion is classified
as spending by the university for personnel services and
operating expenses combined with spending by that institution’s
students. The remaining $630 million of the output impact was
created by “the ripple effect of an institution and its employees
and students purchasing goods or services from other industries
in the community,” including restaurants and shops, according
to KSU.
“Kennesaw State is a powerful driver of economic value for our
region and the state of Georgia,” said Kathy Schwaig, KSU’s interim
president. “As we continue to expand our academic programs, the
benefits extend well beyond our campuses as the university drives
innovation, workforce development and job creation.”
KSU, now the state’s second largest university with more than
41,000 students, also employed in fiscal 2020 13,630 full- and parttime
jobs, including 3,985 jobs on campus and 9,645 jobs off campus
in either the private or public sectors, the university reports.
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