By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The total economic impact of Fort Hays State University on the Ellis County region for fiscal year 2018 (starting July 1, 2017, and ending June 30, 2018) is estimated between $175 million and $234 million.
A recently completed study by FHSU professors of finance and economics concludes the university also supports approximately 2,854 jobs.
The research by Drs. Emily Breit, Tom Johansen, and Samuel Schreyer identifies consistent positive growth in FHSU’s economic impact on the local economy – up to 300 percent overall for the last 30 years.
Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president, shared the research results in her monthly news column this week.
Hays city commissioners are happy about those numbers.
"Really, really, really interesting data," said Sandy Jacobs at the end of Thursday's city commission work session.
"I have an extremely good understanding of what they [FHSU] do for this community. But you put it in those numbers, it's just unbelievable.
"I think there's a lot of credibility with the people that completed the study and I think people should look at it," Jacobs urged.
Mayor Henry Schwaller, an FHSU business professor, said he is very pleased with the work of his colleagues.
"An economic impact in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and they've also restructured the [City of Hays] scholarship programs so it's seamless from freshman to senior.
"It's all geared toward retaining students from freshman to senior year," Schwaller explained, "which has been an issue."
FHSU students spent approximately $32 million in 2018. Visitors to the campus spent an additional $17 million.
Other key economic indicators in the study include direct spending by the university and the FHSU Foundation; local purchases of goods and services by faculty and staff and their families; jobs created due to the presence of the university; and tax revenue.
Sales tax is the main revenue for the city of Hays' general fund.
"When I first got on the commission, I had people asking me why does the city always give Fort Hays state money," said Shaun Musil, vice mayor.
"And you read that and it just shows you how fast that money is returned to us.
"In my opinion, do we even give them enough for what they do for us?," Musil asked.
"But that's a discussion for another day," he added.
The city budgeted $100,000 for the FHSU scholarship program in 2019 and in 2020.
The money comes from the economic development portion of the general fund.
The full report, “Economic Impact 2018,” is available at https://fhsu.edu/president/state-of-the-campus/index.html.