While providing a nationally recognized education to more than 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students, The University of Scranton has a substantial positive economic and community impact on the City of Scranton and the wider region. 

We accomplish this in a variety of ways, both quantitative and qualitative, including: general expenditures, voluntary contributions, job creation, student spending, improvements in the Mulberry Street corridor, and construction and employee-related fees and taxes.  Additionally, we offer free events and resources for area residents, community health and education programs and student volunteers serving at social service agencies.  Altogether, the University is a major actor in Northeastern Pennsylvania’s economy and a significant partner in helping to address community needs. 

Established economic impact studies and formulas, including those used by the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, indicate that the University’s economic impact in Northeastern Pennsylvania for 2010-2011 was $386,108,261.  Over the last year, the University’s Small Business Development Center assisted 163 clients, students have volunteered over 175,000 hours and programs at the Leahy Community Health and Family Center provided care to more than 1200 patients. 

More details can be found in the below summary.  Click here to read the full 2011 Economic & Community Impact Report released in Jan. 2012.  

Highlights of 2011 Economic & Community Impact Report

University Expenditures: For the 2010-2011 academic year, University of Scranton expenditures were $182,989,697. Every dollar in University expenditures generates an estimated $1.11 worth of additional economic activity.

Job Creation: The University estimates that 1,782 jobs can be directly or indirectly attributed to our presence in the region.  For each full-time employee at the University, we estimate that .68 additional jobs are created in the local economy. As of the fall of 2011, the University employed 916 full-time faculty and staff, and an additional 291 part-time employees.

Student Spending: For the past several years, the University, together with the other Lackawanna County colleges has conducted a survey of student spending. Students were asked to estimate their weekly spending for a number of categories (e.g. shopping, dining, cultural events, entertainment, rent, utilities and groceries), with an emphasis on downtown Scranton.  University of Scranton students, which total over 6,000, reported spending an average of $1.4 million off-campus each month.   

Voluntary Contributions: The University of Scranton meets or exceeds all of requirements for tax exemption in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, the University is the most consistent nonprofit in the City to provide an unrestricted, voluntary contribution. The University currently contributes $175,000 to the City of Scranton as well as $58,500 to Lackawanna County. 

Just since 1989, the University’s contributions to the City have totaled more than $2.5 million and over $1.2 million to the County.

Employee & Construction-Related Fees and Tax Payments: As one of Scranton’s largest employers, the University was the source of over $800,000 in annual fees and taxes paid to the City of Scranton in 2011, including wage taxes and local services tax for University employees and mercantile taxes generated by the University’s bookstore and food service operations. In addition, building permits and business privilege taxes for the DeNaples Center, Condron Hall, the Loyola Science Center, and the Mulberry apartment/fitness complex have generated over $2 million dollars in revenue for the City over the past few years.

Mulberry Street Improvement Project: The multi-million dollar Mulberry Street Improvement Project, spearheaded by the mayor of Scranton, Scranton City Council and The University of Scranton, entered its final phase in the fall of 2011 and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2012. The University has committed $3.3 million to this ambitious beautification project.  First announced in 2007, the project improves the Mulberry Street corridor and seamlessly connects The University of Scranton campus to the surrounding neighborhood. 

Use of Facilities: Since 2004, the University has hosted 4,051 events by community organizations, waiving more than $386,000 in room usage fees. 

University-Downtown Collaboration: The University's Office of Community Relations has undertaken several initiatives to increase theinteraction of students, faculty, staff and parents with downtown Scranton.  More than 85 Resident Assistants took part in a downtown tour and dinner as part of their August 2011 orientation.  Over 250 students participated in an inaugural “Downtown Scavenger Hunt” in September 2011 that included over 30downtown locations.  Click here to view opportunities for Downtown Businesses.   

Small Business Development Center: From just 2010-2011, the University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provided more than 1066 consulting hours to 163 Scranton clients. These clients established 8 businesses creating 41 new jobs supported by $385,500 in financing secured based on business plans and projects developed through support by the SBDC.

Community Service: Students, faculty and staff are also involved in hundreds of community service and volunteer programs that have apositive impact on the region. In the 2010-2011 academic year, approximately 3,030 Scranton students provided more than 175,000 hours of volunteer service, much of it in Northeastern Pennsylvania, working with our Community Outreach Office and over 120 Scranton area non-profit agencies.  

The University is nationally recognized for community service, including being among just 119 colleges to have earned the highly selective Community Engagement Classification designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.  For more information, view our Community Impact page.   

Community Resources: Every year the University hosts over 100 free events that are open to the public, including art exhibits at the Hope Horn Gallery, Performance Music concerts, as well as a variety of lectures and athletic events.  Since 2004, the University has hosted 4,051 events by community organizations, waiving more than $386,000 in room usage fees. The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library, which is open to the public, currently has 536 registered Lackawanna County Borrowers, with 491 of these listing their city address as Scranton.  The Leahy Community Health & Family Center provides several programs to meet the needs of Scranton residents, including the Leahy Clinic for the Uninsured which in 2011, provided care to 1200 patients, dispensed 500 prescriptions, and administered 180 immunizations. 

Please note: the above data is based on a 2011 Economic Impact Report released in January 2012.  Click here to view the full report.