Rowan University’s Impact on its Host Communities

Econsult Solutions, Inc. was retained by Rowan University to perform a study to determine the impact of the university on its host communities.

The purpose of this report is to extend the analysis in ESI’s 2015 report The Statewide Economic Impact of Rowan University, and to consider the extent to which Rowan makes positive contributions at a more localized level. This report articulates (and, where possible, quantifies) the impact of Rowan in the communities in which it resides:

1. Glassboro Borough, home of Rowan’s 200-acre main campus, the University’s main hub of student activity and operations
2. Camden City, site of Rowan University’s Camden campus, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, and the collaborative college of health sciences (with Rutgers-Camden)
3. Stratford Borough, site of the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
4. Mantua Township, home of Rowan’s South Jersey Technology Park.

The positive impacts of Rowan for local communities and residents are many and varied. This report details for categories of impacts in turn:

• Rowan’s economic footprint, including capital spending, operations, and student/visitor spending, leads to significant increases in economic activity and jobs for host communities. The report finds that annual economic impacts from Rowan’s capital investment, operations and student spending in Glassboro alone total $108 million annually.
• Rowan also has a significant influence on local real estate markets by incentivizing faculty and staff to live in host communities, attracting and enabling private investment, and creating hubs of innovation activity.
• Rowan’s impact on the real estate market also helps local communities grow their tax base, which is supplemented by the University’s direct contributions to and partnerships with local municipal governments.
• Finally, in the course of fulfilling its institutional mission and providing for its own students and staff, Rowan offers a significant scale of resources and services to its host communities and their residents and businesses.

The full report can be downloaded below.