Fox: LSU a ‘boon to parish economy’
A study by the Economics and Policy Research Group at the E. J. Ourso College of Business has determined Louisiana State University’s (LSU) economic impact on Jeff Davis Parish to be $3,230,656.
According to a press release from LSU Media Relations, the study released in February is the first to calculate the collective economic impact of all eight LSU campuses at the parish level which include the main LSU campus in Baton Rouge, the LSU AgCenter, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, LSU Alexandria, LSU Eunice, LSU Shreveport and the LSU Health Sciences Centers in Shreveport and New Orleans.
Statewide, LSU has an impact of $5.1 billion.
Marion Fox, president and CEO of Jeff Davis Parish Economic Development and Tourism Commission and the parish chamber of commerce, said LSU and other establishments of higher education are a boon to the economy of the parish and state.
“It’s incredible what universities do for every parish in our state. Another thing that LSU does for us in particular is they really support our farming community,” she said.
LSU benefits Jeff Davis Parish because of its economy’s agricultural base, Fox said.
”Agriculture is one of our biggest industries. If graduates with an agriculture degree have a family farm here, it makes sense that they often want to work on those farms after college,” she said.
Fox said Jeff Davis Parish is also known for the Yellow Rails and Rice Festival, an annual festival that LSU started a decade ago. She said this festival is a profitable tourist attraction because it brings farmers and birders together to participate in agricultural field days, and to realize the value of birds to the areas wetlands.
“Birders come here looking to check the little yellow rail birds you tend to see with the second rice crops off their birding list. You can only find them in this part of the country, so many internationals and people from out of state want to come and check the bird off their list,” she said. “This gives these tourists a chance to stay a couple of nights spending money on gas, hotels, dining and other attractions.”
Fox said other industries and degrees are also a boon to Jeff Davis Parish, such as engineering. She said Jeff Davis Parish offers several other outlets for LSU graduates with non-agriculture based degrees.
“Some graduates come here with degrees in engineering looking for managerial and supervisory positions. Many degrees LSU offers have some kind of benefit for Jeff Davis Parish because students are getting degrees not necessarily to work out of state but to stay in Southwest Louisiana and make money here.”
In a press release, LSU President F. King Alexander said this study proves LSU is a vital university to Louisiana.
“This study demonstrates that LSU is found in every parish of our state, helping to solve the biggest challenges we face in Louisiana,” Alexander said. “Through education and research, we are creating the economy of tomorrow by improving today’s quality of life.”
The study excludes the fiscal impact of LSU’s athletics and other factors, which would ostensibly increase the university’s economic impact. These include the role of college graduates and faculty as job creators, the role of the university in bringing in outside talent and business and the collective increased lifetime earnings of all LSU graduates.