Content area
Full Text
Historically, The University of Montana has enjoyed a close relationship with the Missoula community. In its role as an institution of higher education, the university offers numerous cultural, educational, and athletic events to the Missoula community. As a major employer, UM's economic presence has always been felt in the local economy. Over the years, a strong economic partnership has grown between "town and gown."
The Missoula community has been a strong supporter of the university; the ties between "town and gown" formed more than 100 years ago. Indeed, several young townies played for the UM Grizzlies' very first football game in 1897 when the university team came up short of a full squad. Beyond athletics, the Missoula community participates in a number of university fund-raising campaigns and has opened doors to students by providing new learning experiences, internships, scholarships, and much more.
The economic role of The University of Montana-Missoula campus in the local community has grown through the years. The University's Bureau of Business and Economic Research has tracked and monitored the economic impact of UM on Missoula for a number of years, and in 1996-97, the Bureau conducted a study to update its database. The need for the most current data was motivated by the changing nature of UM-growing student enrollment and nationally-ranked Grizzly athletic programs-as well as significant changes in the Missoula economy over past years.
Missoula has expanded in its role as a regional trade center, attracting international artists, writers, physicians, and business people. With an increasing population, Missoula has become a destination choice for migrants to Montana (see "Population Dynamics," this issue.) Retail trade is continuously growing as the large " box" stores such as Costco, Target, and Wal-Mart spread throughout the city. Missoula also offers a wide variety of professional services, ranging from plumbers and electricians to accountants, doctors, and lawyers.
The Bureau's 1996-97 Economic Impact Study was designed to measure all direct expenditures from The University of Montana into the Missoula economy, without counting for possible "multiplier" effects those dollars may have.
Obtaining such information is difficult at best. The lack of any systematically-collected data on direct expenditures was a major challenge to our study. For example, while the university payroll is a known quantity, the amount...