As the Roanoke Higher Education Center celebrates its 20-year anniversary, the institution announces the findings of an economic impact study showing that the Center adds nearly $10M to the Roanoke Region economy each year based on student spending linked directly to the Center and expenditures by member institutions and the Center.
“Two decades ago, the Roanoke Higher Education Center opened with a vision of creating opportunity for this region. In the time since we have helped almost 10,000 individuals achieve the training and degrees to improve the trajectory of their careers and boost our local workforce,” said Dr. Kay Dunkley, executive director of the Roanoke Higher Education Center. “The Center’s collaboration with our college, university and workforce agency partners, state and local leaders, has substantially impacted our region’s workforce. We are excited to celebrate this 20-year milestone.”
The study, conducted by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, estimates the economic impact of the Center’s operations to be $8,411,536 for the Fiscal Year 2018–2019, including expenditures by each institution and expenditures by the Center. Direct student spending had a further economic impact of $1,546,322 for the region, which included average weekly expenditure on meals, snacks, and parking that result solely from attendance at the Center. Additionally, the report unveiled that: The Center and its students help support 129 jobs in the Roanoke MSA region; Graduates who stay in the region add an additional $6M to the economy each year through additional spending from projected increased incomes.
“We have definitely lived up to the original concept of being a new model of education for the new millennium. The establishment of the Center has allowed more people to obtain degrees, and an educated workforce improves the economy,” added Senator John S. Edwards, the chairman of the Roanoke Higher Education Authority’s Board of Trustees.
The Roanoke Higher Education Center opened to serve what was once the largest region in Virginia without a four-year public college or university. While citizens pushed to expand opportunities for public higher education in the mid-1990s, civic and government leaders, educators, and the downtown business community aspired to transform the old N&W building into a facility that creates opportunities for the citizens of the region to earn degrees, certificates and endorsements.
With funds from the General Assembly, a historic tax credit and endorsement from the State Council of Higher Education, the Center opened in August of 2000. Currently, 12 colleges, universities, and workforce training institutions partner to provide educational opportunities to those throughout the Roanoke region. Recently, the Center activated the Roanoke Higher Education Center Foundation to raise funds to establish a career center, create scholarships and support new programming that aligns with current and future workforce needs.
As part of the Roanoke Higher Education Center’s weeklong celebration starting on Sunday, Aug. 16, several videos have been shared on the Center’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts featuring students and notable speakers. A live press conference was held at the Center to reveal the results of the economic impact study.
For more information, please visit: https://www.education.edu/anniversary/.
