[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-582329-105":59,"doc-detail-582329-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","from-out-here-valuing-our-rural-colleges","From Out Here - Valuing Our Rural Colleges","","A persuasive essay explores how rural colleges create economic value beyond payroll size. It examines local economic impact studies, explains multiplier effects, and challenges the idea that colleges’ worth can be reduced to employment figures by contrasting colleges with prisons. Drawing on the “creative class” framework, it argues that knowledge, innovation, and faculty/community involvement provide unique competitive advantages, shaping workforce development and cultural vitality. It concludes by encouraging direct engagement with college leaders to uncover opportunities.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/from-out-here-valuing-our-rural-colleges/582329/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/from-out-here-valuing-our-rural-colleges/582329.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Margaret","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":19},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why does the essay question using payroll size alone to measure a college’s economic value?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It argues that if economic impact were only about payroll size, other payroll-heavy institutions like prisons should produce comparable local effects, which the author finds implausible.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What unique value does the essay attribute to rural colleges?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It suggests colleges aggregate intellectual and creative capital, bringing knowledge, innovation, and creativity that support community growth and competitiveness.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How does faculty and staff involvement affect the college’s local impact?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The essay highlights evidence that rural colleges’ real economic value can lie in faculty and staff participating in local development efforts and community organizations beyond normal duties.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},582329,1792871046,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":19,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":14,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":24,"preview_page_count":4},137451207643,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","Center for Rural Policy and Development  \nSt. Peter, Minnesota  \nFrom Out Here:  \nValuing our rural colleges By Jack M. Geller, Ph.D.  \nJuly 2004  \nTwo months ago while reading my favorite local newspaper in North Dakota I ran across an article regarding the economic impact of a local college on a small rural community. In the article the president of the college was pleased to announce the results of a study that found that the college had an annual economic impact of $46 million on the local economy. Needless to say, for a rural community of almost 2,000 residents, that’s a big economic impact.  \nThe study went on to discuss how, with a large annual payroll in the millions, the college actually impacts more than 300 additional jobs in the community, as many employees of the college purchase their goods and services locally, spurring further job growth. In addition, many of the college’s employees own homes in the community, which adds to the local tax base. And lastly, the college itself purchases some of its supplies and services locally, spurring additional economic impact. These are what economists call multipliers:  \nquantifying for every dollar of payroll or revenue how many additional dollars or jobs are“created” in the local economy.  \nYep, $46 million is a pretty big impact for a town that’s not quite 2,000 in population!  \nIt turns out that many other colleges and various public or  \nquasi-public institutions have been conducting similar economic impact studies for quite some time in an attempt to“educate” the local officials and citizens alike of their value and importance to the community. But is that really the true economic value of an institution of higher education? Does it simply boil down to the fact that colleges have big payrolls, and that big payrolls create a big economic impact? I don’t think so, and here’s why:  \nEssentially, if it’s only about the size of the payroll of the educational institution that spurs the economic impact and creates this economic value, then doesn’t it stand to reason that a prison with a $26 million payroll should have the same local economic impact as a college with a $26 million payroll? If so, wouldn’t it be logical to argue that a local prison might actually have more economic value than a local college, as it not only has a large payroll, but each weekend it attracts many visitors to town to see their incarcerated loved ones, who likely will eat lunch at the local café, or purchase gas at the local filling station? Now that’s economic impact …right?  \nOr is there something different about a college that adds economic value in a unique way? That maybe a college actually represents an aggregation of intellectual and creative capital; i.e. , a lot of very smart people  \nwhose ideas, knowledge and creativity bring unique economic value to a community. In Richard Florida’s 2002 book, The Rise of the Creative Class, he observed a very strong empirical correlation between those communities that have a significant percentage of residents who are engaged in “the knowledge economy” and a community’s overall economic growth. That the knowledge, innovation and creativity that emerges with a growing “creative class” provides communities with a competitive advantage not often found in communities that have a more limited number of knowledge or creative workers.  \nSo does the presence of a local college provide similar competitive advantage for its host community? Well, listen to Dr. Mike Johnson, Provost of Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minn. To him, clearly the answer is yes. While Johnson also engaged in a study examining the economic impact of his college on the community of Grand Rapids, he quickly came to the conclusion that infact, the real economic value of his college to the community was in the faculty and staff’s involvement in its local development efforts.  \nQuoting from Itasca Business Monthly, Johnson states,“There is an expectation that rural community colleg","cbCaikdo2wEqMtxj","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaikdo2wEqMtxj","pdf",252282,"English","# Valuing rural colleges\n## Economic impact studies and multipliers\n## Payroll size vs. unique institutional value\n## Knowledge economy and the creative class\n## College involvement in local development","[{\"question\":\"Why does the essay question using payroll size alone to measure a college’s economic value?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that if economic impact were only about payroll size, other payroll-heavy institutions like prisons should produce comparable local effects, which the author finds implausible.\"},{\"question\":\"What unique value does the essay attribute to rural colleges?\",\"answer\":\"It suggests colleges aggregate intellectual and creative capital, bringing knowledge, innovation, and creativity that support community growth and competitiveness.\"},{\"question\":\"How does faculty and staff involvement affect the college’s local impact?\",\"answer\":\"The essay highlights evidence that rural colleges’ real economic value can lie in faculty and staff participating in local development efforts and community organizations beyond normal duties.\"}]","From Out Here - Valuing Our Rural Colleges | PDF",1792043053]