By President Richard Cook
June 2007, for the Meadville Tribune
When Timothy Alden first arrived in Meadville in 1815, his intent was to stop only long enough to plan the next leg of his trip: he wanted to establish his own town and found a college there. The frontier was wide open.
But there was something about Meadville that made him take a second look: the enthusiasm for higher education of its citizens, who recognized that a college would provide opportunities for their sons—and eventually their daughters—and would boost not only their town's prominence but its economy as well.
Almost 200 years later, Allegheny College's economic impact on Meadville and Crawford County has more than fulfilled the expectations of those early citizens, as shown in a detailed study published this summer by Professors Behrooz Afrasiabi and Stephen Onyeiwu of the college's Department of Economics. Their economic findings were supplemented and informed by historical data compiled by college historian Jonathan Helmreich.
Their rigorous 62-page study of Allegheny's economic relationship to the community covers the period 2004-2005, the most recent year for which complete data were available. Although I commissioned the study, because I suspected that the college's economic impact on the region is much greater than previously recognized, the results surprised me.
The seventh largest employer in the county and the third largest employer in Meadville, Allegheny's impact on the Crawford County economy was roughly $93.1 million in the year studied. In addition to 500 individuals directly employed by the college, another 1,031 of the jobs in the county were sustained as a result of the college's expenditures.
These individuals had a significant impact on the tax base. College employees alone paid $845,530 in property taxes to the county, city and three regional school districts and $195,740 in income taxes to the city of Meadville. College transactions generated an additional $1.5 million in tax revenue.
During the year studied, approximately 800 Allegheny graduates resided in the county and contributed an estimated $35 million annually to the local economy in earned income. The study also estimates that alumni visitors to the county spent $2.7 million, parents of current students spent about $2.1 million, and families of prospective students spent approximately $786,000.
Although we are not the largest employer in the city or county, I believe we can lay claim to having the largest economic impact, because of the visitors we draw to the area, the multiple millions of dollars we spend in construction projects, and the impact an Allegheny education has on people's earning power and productivity for years to come.
Numbers, impressive as they are, tell only half the story, however. Allegheny College's partnership with Meadville and with Crawford County goes far beyond the fiscal and the quantifiable.
In a typical year, Allegheny students contribute more than 25,000 hours of community service to this area. It is not at all unusual to see in this newspaper photos of Allegheny students building ramps for the disabled, participating in Big Brother/Big Sister fundraisers, donating time and blood for area blood banks, or helping low-income families navigate the mysteries of Form 1040 at tax time.
As they volunteer, they are often working alongside our faculty and staff. Allegheny employees serve as volunteers and in leadership positions in nonprofit organizations across the county, as do many of the Allegheny alumni who call Crawford County home.
Our faculty, staff and students also lead and participate in research and community projects that have been immensely beneficial to the region, as a few examples will illustrate.
The recent "I Love Meadville" campaign, which was initiated by Allegheny students, gave a boost to local businesses when participating students pledged to shop in Meadville. "We value the people and places that make Meadville the city we love," student leaders said, and they used their wallets to make their point. The Mill Run project, an initiative of the college's Center for Economic and Environmental Development, is bringing together students, faculty and regional partners to create a plan to use Mill Run as a catalyst for economic and community revitalization. Through another project, faculty and students are compiling data to provide to the Pennsylvania Department of Health on the risk of lead exposure in rural regions. Their efforts include free testing to measure the levels of lead in Crawford County homes, as well as educating parents on lead's insidious effects on children's health. The Center for Political Participation's innovative Model Campaign USA program, which has received national acclaim, benefits high school students right here in this region - and benefits the entire community by engaging students in creative and challenging activities that teach them that democracy is not a passive exercise: it requires an investment of social capital.
We know that Allegheny College's impact on the region, both in economic terms and in community involvement, does not exist in a vacuum. A talented local government, a strong business community and engaged citizens help shape Allegheny just as Allegheny helps shape the surrounding community. There is no doubt in my mind that Timothy Alden found the right place for his college. As our students say, "We value the people and places that make Meadville the city we love." And, I would add, we are proud to be a strong and stable economic anchor for the city, the county and the region.
