January 24, 2005 SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) – Based on economic multipliers developed by the Pennsylvania Economy League, Susquehanna University’s economic impact on the region exceeded $90 million for the year ended June 30, 2004. This compares with an estimated impact of $88 million the previous year. With an annual payroll of more than 450 people, Susquehanna is among the largest employers in the Central Susquehanna Valley. Total salaries and wages for the fiscal year July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004 exceeded $17.6 million, in addition to the $5.5 million spent on healthcare and other benefits. University employees paid more than $300,000 in local wage taxes and in excess of $560,000 in state income taxes. An additional $4.5 million was paid in federal income and social security taxes. The university's budget for the year exceeded $41.9 million. Of this, $25.1 million – most of which was spent in the region – was used for contracted services, supplies and general administration, occupancy and other costs, and capital expenditures. In addition, Susquehanna University’s 1,895 full-time students spent an estimated $2.3 million in the area. The university held more than $1.4 million in local checking accounts during the 2003-2004 fiscal year. Construction spending, based on a five-year average, was more than $8.3 million, and local long-term investments were at $168,363 for the year. The more than 79,000 people who visited campus last year spent an estimated $2 million in the region on such things as gas, lodging and food. Voluntary local contributions to Selinsgrove borough and Dauntless Hook & Ladder Company during the 2003-2004 fiscal year totaled $25,000 – $18,000 to the borough and $7,000 to the fire company. Along with its annual monetary infusions, approximately 60 percent of the student body participates in volunteer service each year. Last year, they contributed more than 48,000 hours of service to community, national and international projects. According to calculations used by the Independent Sector, an organization supporting the non-profit and philanthropic community, these community service contributions equaled over $775,000. Susquehanna's Office of Volunteer Programs coordinates assistance to more than 30 charitable and civic organizations in the region. Susquehanna University's Public Safety Office has a long-standing mutual aid agreement to provide 24-hour assistance to the Selinsgrove Borough Police Department when requested. The university also shares maintenance equipment with the borough on an as-needed basis. Similarly, Susquehanna University and Selinsgrove Area School District have a reciprocal agreement to provide use of their respective facilities to one another without facility charges. The university also provides the building site for the Susquehanna Children's Center, a community childcare facility independently operated by Snyder, Union, Mifflin Child Development Inc. In May 2004, Susquehanna University graduated its first SU4U students. Made possible through a partnership between the university and the Charles B. Degenstein Foundation, the program is designed to encourage regional students and their families in the pursuit of higher education, offering mentoring and financial support to students who are in the first generation of their families to consider college. Recipients come from families with limited financial resources in Snyder, Union, Northumberland and surrounding counties. Other community contributions during the 2003-2004 fiscal year included consulting services for small businesses and tax filing assistance for Snyder County seniors through the Sigmund Weis School of Business, classroom program assistance by students and faculty from various academic departments, as well as experimental equipment and teaching assistance to high school science teachers through the Science in Motion program. The Saturday Science program provided children in grades K-12 with constructive weekend educational opportunities in the natural sciences at no charge. Susquehanna’s Music Preparatory Program offered reasonably priced preschool through adult music instruction to area residents, with scholarships available for low-income individuals. The new student organization, SU SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise), undertook numerous community outreach projects last year, including an in-depth survey for Sunbury Community Hospital & Outpatient Center and the development of an ongoing relationship with the Mount Carmel Cornerstone Community Center, which provides assistance to under-privileged members of the Greater Mount Carmel Area. A national liberal arts college enrolling nearly 1,900 students, Susquehanna also contributes significantly to the educational and cultural resources of the Central Susquehanna Valley. For more information about Susquehanna’s impact on the region, go to www.susqu.edu/pr/econimpact.htm. Contact: Victoria Kidd 570-372-4119 #vk/1902#