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International Education MattersA
Forum for Issues Pertaining
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"Foreign students help state economy" The Kansan Students who work in retail sales or as servers in bars and restaurants may have international students to thank for their jobs, a KU administrator has found. International students in Kansas add nearly $200 million to the Kansas economy each year through the money they spend generating more than 1,300 jobs and more than $12.8 million in state and local taxes, according to an economic impact study by Gerald Harris, director of International Student Services. I did the study strictly for academic purposes, Harris said. I wanted to show people there is a huge economic enterprise here that has never been recognized. According to the survey, international students in Kansas added $65 million in new money to the Kansas economy in 1994 excluding tuition payments. That money, however, has a multiplying effect in the economy because sales based on the direct expenditures expand outward, making their total impact about $197 million, Harris said. Harris said the study showed that Kansas' education services were an important commodity and deserved more attention from universities and the business community. But Harris said he did not expect the study to have a direct impact on education policy. It may change some ideas; it may change some attitudes, he said. The study surveyed 700 international students at six Kansas institutions in 1994. The findings were adjusted to reflect the more than 7,000 international students enrolled in Kansas schools. The study is one of only a handful nationwide that have attempted to quantify the value of international education beyond its benefits to academic research and diversity. Bob Billings, a member of Kansas International, a local organization that promotes international business and distributed the survey, said it was in Kansas' interest to spend more money recruiting international students. About 1,700 international students are enrolled at the University of Kansas, 6.5 percent of total enrollment. The survey found that in 1994 the average yearly income of an international student at KU was $15,687. About 65 percent of that amount came from non-U.S. sources. The average international student spent $13,411 for basic living expenses each year. International students, on average, also spent $1,765 on durable goods, such as computers and hi-fi equipment during their stay in Kansas. An additional 63 percent of KU international students bought a car at the average cost of $5,032, and 4 percent invested an average of $33,000 in capital investments such as property, stocks and bonds. The Kansas tourism industry also benefited, according to the survey. International visitors, on average, stay eight days in Kansas and spend $476. |
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