Universities getting more respect as economic drivers
The magazine Governing, the monthly feature magazine for elected officials published by Congressional Quarterly, has a story this month about the different ways that universities can drive the economy of regions. The article focuses on the impact of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, but also delves into the growing realization that universities drive the economy of regions in more ways than many communities previously realized.
Not only do the universities produce technology for local companies to benefit, but they draw additional investment to an area, bring in fresh talent, and are generally better than average employers.
In Northeast Minnesota, colleges and universities (both the 4-year and the 2-year variety) have proved to be good employers, with both the number of jobs and the wages growing at much better than average. See an article here.
