The Assessment of Community College Economic Impact on the Local Community or State

Researchers and administrators often assess the costs and benefits of community colleges in response to calls for accountability and to publicize the college's involvement in the community. The author reviews the practice of economic impact analysis by examining 19 analyses conducted by community college researchers to determine who conducts such analyses, how services areas are defined, what models are used, and what motivates the assessments. The results indicate that motivation affects the factors considered during an economic impact analysis; studies conducted for institutional planning provide the most accurate portrayals of positive and negative impacts on local economies whereas those conducted for policy or public information purposes often were focused more narrowly. The author recommends using qualitative methods in economic impact analyses because quantitative methods alone may not reveal the full extent of a college's impact on a community's economic well-being.