NEW ORLEANS (AP) — At a time when state government budget problems make future funding for college campuses uncertain, the University of New Orleans is making the case for its importance to the New Orleans area economy.
The university has released an analysis by its Division of Business and Economic Research showing that the university spent $75 million in the last state fiscal year. That includes wages, purchases of goods and services and spending by non-resident students and visitors.
And the analysis estimates that alumni who stay in the New Orleans area generated over $210 million in the metro area economy.
It also estimates that secondary expenditures generated by that direct spending total over $185 million.
The analysis released Thursday notes the university employs 1,115 people and educated more than 9,200 students last year.
John Williams, Dean of the UNO College of Business Administration, said in a university news release that the study took "an extremely conservative approach," with results that reflect only spending that would not occur if the University did not exist.
"The results should be viewed as the very minimum economic impact of the University of New Orleans on the New Orleans metro area," he said.
The university said the study does not contain the spending impact of the UNO Foundation, the UNO Research and Technology Park, the UNO Kiefer Lakefront Arena or the UNO Federal Credit Union. The report was prepared by project manager Maria J. Ortiz and research analyst Heidi Charters with the Division of Business and Economic Research, which is a research unit of the UNO College of Business Administration.
