UMass Dartmouth contributed $517M to Mass. economy last year

UMass Dartmouth
THE UNIVERSITY of Massachusetts Dartmouth College of Visual & Performing Arts has voted to restructure and streamline its structure to create a more flexible system for students and increase community engagement.

DARTMOUTH – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth returned $9 to the state economy for every $1 invested by the state in 2013, according to a new study by the UMass Donahue Institute.
That metric is derived from UMass Dartmouth’s contribution of $517 million to the Massachusetts economy last year. The school also supported 2,483 external jobs – in addition to the 1,220 faculty and staff employed there. About a quarter of the school’s operating budget is funded by the state.
UMass Dartmouth is part of the five-campus UMass system, which contributed a total of $6.1 billion to the economy of Massachusetts and supported 29,552 jobs in the state in 2013, the Institute reported.
The university cited three significant catalysts for growth, including the School for Marine Science & Technology, which is engaged in a $45 million expansion; the College of Visual and Performing Arts in downtown New Bedford, which has attracted $90 million of private investment in the surrounding neighborhood; and the Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center in Fall River.
The ATM center had combined annual sales of over $50 million in 2013, while, historically, its companies have generated more than 200 jobs. Fifteen companies have already graduated from the ATMC, with 80 percent of them staying in Massachusetts, the university said.
Other reported major economic drivers are a continuing education center in downtown Fall River that attracts students to the area and the Massachusetts Accelerator for Biomanufacturing in the city’s bio-park, in which the university has chosen to invest.
In addition, UMass Dartmouth students dedicated 195,063 hours of community service at a value of $5.3 million to the community. More than 100 UMass Dartmouth faculty members taught 170 service-learning sections this past academic year that engaged nearly 5,000 students in projects that benefit the community.
That work earned the university one of 12 spots among President Higher Education Honor Roll Finalists from nearly 4,500 campuses nationwide.
Washington Monthly has ranked UMass Dartmouth 25th on its list of best master’s institutions impacting individuals and communities in the United States, the school said.

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