Southwestern Michigan College has a big economic impact on Cass County and the surrounding area. That’s according to a study the college released this week.
SMC Chief of Marketing Mike O’Brien tells us this is the first economic impact study the college has commissioned in about 20 years. It’s found SMC’s clout in Cass County alone is estimated at $58.4 million per year, or enough to support 1,017 jobs.
“The impressive thing about that, I think, is that the alumni who we’ve helped graduate over the last 50 years of our existence continue to add to the local economy through higher incomes, through improving the productivity of the local businesses, and adding a lot increased impact to those businesses in the area,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien says the $54 million is the result of $40.2 million in alumni impact, $17.7 million spent on current operations, and student spending of $519,600 in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. He notes SMC’s contributions to the economy also come in the form of the students it attracts from outside of Southwest Michigan.
“About 62% of our student body comes from outside of Cass County, and so we’re definitely drawing folks into the area.”
O’Brien says the college benefits regional businesses by increasing consumer spending while feeding a steady flow of qualified, trained workers into the labor force, increasing the productivity of the firms who hire them.
The study, done by labor market analysis firm Lightcast, also found for every dollar of public money invested in SMC, taxpayers receive $1.61 in return over the course of students’ working lives.
Not only does SMC have an economic impact on Cass County, but the study has found the college’s impact on its full seven-county service area to be $224.1 million per year.
