The school’s original student population — 18 —
has since swelled to more than 11,240, according to
VSU documents.
More than 11,000 students represent a significant
part of Valdosta’s population, tallied at 56,000 by the US.
Census Bureau. That means 20 percent of the people
living in Valdosta — one in five — are VSU students.
That represents some serious purchasing power.
VSU students were responsible for $161,406,372 of
spending in 2018, according to numbers provided by
Cynthia R. Tori, Ph.D., professor of economics at VSU.
The total economic impact of the students in 2018 was
$207,351,620, she said.
In addition to the students, VSU supports 4,635
jobs, 1,437 of which are on-campus.
Then there comes the cost of construction, ren-
ovation and other major projects. In 2018, VSU had
a capital outlay of $1.7 million with a total impact of
$2,503,044, Tori said.
Measured in dollars and cents, VSU had a total
economic impact of $394,138,019, according to Tori’s
numbers.
But the university’s full impact on the community’s
economy can’t be measured simply by bottom-dollar
statistics.
One way in which VSU helps the area is through
the Center for South Georgia Regional Impact, which
opened last fall, offering local governments help and
access to university experts, Tori said.
“For example, you could contact university faculty
with experience in a given area,” she said.
Other university offerings, including sports and
cultural events such as Peach State Summer Theatre
which draw visitors to the area, are “not negligible”
economically, but there is no data to track their impact,
Tori said.
Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce | Trendsetters
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