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Economic Impact Study Shows Value of PCC to
District Economy
Portland Community College s recently completed economic impact study details a dynamic financial force affecting residents and business throughout
the 1,500-square-mile Portland Community College district.
he study, conducted by the
applied Economics Research
Group at Portland State University,
outlines the economic contributions
made by PCC’s three campuses, four
training centers, and the college ad
ministrative operations. PCC oper
ates in all or parts of five Northwest
Oregon counties— Clackamas, Co
lumbia, Multnomah, Washington and
Yamhill. It enrolls more students
than any other college in the state.
The study demonstrates that last
year Portland Community College
T
pumped $194 million into the dis
trict economy and created an addi
tional 2,408 full-timejobs in its com
munities for district residents. PCC
spending also generated $71 million
in personal income in its district.
“Portland Community College is
seen as a strong contributor to the
quality o f life in the Portland-metro
area with affordable and accessible
education,” said PCC President Dan
Moriarty. “For 37 years, we have
been known as the door that opens
wide to higher education and train-
Snodgrass to preside
Over House as
Speaker
a le m - A n e w s p e a k e r
w ill p r e s id e o v e r th e
H o u se o f R e p r e s e n ta tiv e s in
th e u p c o m in g 1999 le g is la tiv e
s e s s io n .
H o u se M a jo rity
L ead er Lynn S n o d g ra ss(R -
D a m a s c u s ) g a in e d th e fin a l
v o te s to s e c u re th e s p e a k e r
s h ip in th e e a r ly h o u r s o f
T u e s d a y m o rn in g . In a c o n
te s t th a t g a in e d m u c h m e d ia
a tte n tio n o v e r th e p a s t s e v
e ra l d ay s, S n o d g ra ss p re
v a ile d o v e r c u rre n t H o u se
S p e a k e r , L y n n L u n d q u is t (R -
P o w e ll B u tte ).
“ It w a s a le n g th y p r o c e s s ,”
S n o d g ra ss re m a rk e d .
“ The
c itiz e n s o f O re g o n s h o u ld fe e l
g o o d k n o w in g th a t w e s p e n t
h o u rs in in te n s e d e lib e r a tio n s ,
tr y in g to c o m e up w ith le a d
e r s h ip th a t w o u ld s e rv e th e m
w e ll.”
N e w ly e le c te d H o u se M a
j o r i t y L e a d e r , S te v e H a rp e r
( R - k la m a th F a lls ) w ill h e a d
th e R e p u b lic a n c a u c u s . T h e
h o u s e w ill a ls o se e R e p r e s e n
t a t i v e K e n S tr o b e c k (R -
S
B e a v e r to n ) a s s p e a k e r P ro -
T e m p o re a n d R e p r e s e n ta tiv e
M ark S im m o n s ( R - E lg in ) as
M a jo r ity W h ip .
“ T h e c a u c u s h a s an o p p o r
tu n ity to c h o o s e b e tw e e n le a d
e r s h ip s ty le s , a b ilitie s a n d v i
s io n s ,” S n o d g r a s s s a id . “ It
w as s p e lle d o u t b e f o r e th e
m e m b e rs la s t n ig h t, a n d th e y
w e re a b le to m a k e up th e ir
o w n m in d s .” S n o d g r a s s c o n
tin u e d , “ I ’ve a lw a y s s a id , th e
m o st im p o r ta n t th in g I h a v e
to o f f e r is c o a litio n b u ild in g ;
I m a k e it a p o in t to lis te n to
e v e r y o n e .”
S n o d g ra ss c o n c lu d e d , “ I am
a n x io u s fo r J a n u a r y to r o ll
a ro u n d . I h a v e so m u ch e n
e rg y . I c a n ’t w a it to g e t to
w o rk .”
O r e g o n ’s 7 0 th L e g is la tiv e
S e ssio n c o n v e n e s Ja n u a ry 11,
1999. Rep. S n o d g rass w ill en ter
her third term in the H ouse, se rv
ing H ouse D istric t 10 w h ic h in
c lu d e s G r e s h a m , B o r in g ,
D am ascas,E stacada, C lackam as,
and p arts o f N o rth e a st P o rtlan d .
ing and better jobs for hundreds o f
thousands o f district residents. This
study goes a step further. It under
scores the direct and pervasive fi
nancial impact — and value — PCC
has for the people in the district.”
“At a time when our state has
demanded outcomes and asked for
limits on education spending,” he
added, “this study helps share PCC’s
positive economic contributions to
our district economy, over and above
the educational opportunities we pro
vide for so many people.”
The financial impact is more than
two times the annual PCC operating
budget o f $94 million. It is three and
one-half times greater than the $56
million paid in the state and local
taxes for PCC’s operation.
The study examines the short-term
financial impact PCC’s has on its
district economy. The impact is de
rived from looking at the dollars that
flow within the economy from insti
tution, employee and student spend
ing. While there are many other
factors that contribute to the overall
C
average starting salary for ITT gradu
ates is $25,000.
Besides Jefferson high school
with students participating in the pro
gram include Lincoln High in South
west Portland: McCoy Academy in
Northeast Portland: Portland Oppor
tunities Industrialization Center in
Northeast Portland; Marshall High in
Southeast Portland; Madison High
School in Northeast Portland; Youth
Employment Institute in Northeast
Portland; open Meadow High in
North Portland: and Parkrose High in
Northeast Portland. To qualify stu
dents must be entering the 12th grade
and have completed Algebra 1 and
Integrated Mathematics, they must
have a grade-point average o f 2.0 or
better and be able to attend classes at
the institute from 1 to 3 p.m. daily.
Excellent attendance is expected and
the high school students are treated
no different than their college-level
peers. Students in the college-level
peers. Students in the program can
also go on to take more advance
training in Computer Aided Drafting
Technology and electronics, Borders
said. T hat’s the goal o f Daniel
Delashmutt, 18,ofMarshallHigh. He
plans to pursue an associate degree
at ITT, then move to Germany to
continue advanced training in com
puter visual technology, he said.
“That is a good starting point for
students,” said Delashmutt, a Ger
man. The students sometimes work
ovember 11, 1998 -
Recent graduates o f Port
land State University’s School o f En
gineering and applied Science once
again passed the national Fundamen-
tals o f Engineering (FE) examina-
in teams and assist each other in the
program. “I want to pursue architec
tural design.” Arelliano later said “I
saw this as an opportunity to learn
something else. I try to get a taste o f
everything.’ Arelliano said she is
unsure she will pursue her career
goals at ITT. She said she may enroll
at Portland Community College then
transfer to another college or univer
sity. She said the program is interest
ing but also very challenging. “I
came in here knowing nothing,” she
said. “There are some people who
had some clue,” she said smiling and
looking over at Delashmutt. Shanna
Washington, a senior at McCoy, said
she’s learning some useful skills
through the program that could lead
to a good job. She’s among those
who plans to continue her education
through ITT. It’s a great program,”
said Jason Allen, the instructor. “A
student has to be committed to make
it through.” He said he’s lost a few
students who were not committed. “I
wish I had this type o f opportunity
when I was in high school," he said.
By the time the program wraps up
next spring, the students would have
built a working electronic appliance.
Allen said, with their basics training,
it would be something along the lines
o f a volt meter, he said. “This is a
great program and a great opportu
nity for them.” he said “And it gives
them a chance to show their knowl
edge.
Do You Have Winter Depression?
Qualifications
Research Study Volunteers Needed
To qualify, you must be in
good health and not taking
any antidepressant
medications.
Do you feel down or sad in the winter, but not during the summer? If you
experience sadness or other symptoms such as lack of energy/motivation.
social withdrawal or changes in your sleep or appetite, you may qualify
for a three-week research study treating winter depression with melatonin,
which naturally occurs in the body. This is followed up with two weeks
of bright light therapy (you will be given a light fixture at the end of the
study). The program will involve five visits, with blood draws on three
If you are interested, please
call the Sleep and Mood
D isorders Laboratory at
OHSU:
(5 0 3 ) 4 9 4 -1 4 0 2
This project is under the
direction o f Dr Alfred] leuy
fees. (Adjustments were made to
reflect only a portion of full-time
student spending and housing costs
since a large number of PCC stu
dents are part-time.)
The three categories total $136
million in expenditures. The multi
plier effect is then calculated by us
ing a specialized software assess
ment tool, IMPLAN, and U.S. De
partm ent o f Com m erce models.
IMPLAN is widely used by indus
tries and groups to gauge economic
impact.
PSU Engineering Students Rank
A m ong Nation’s Best
tion at a rate significantly higher than
the national average.
Results released recently by the
Oregon State Board o f Engineering
Examiners and Land Surveyors, show
PSU graduates passing the engineer
S tudents g e t fast sta rt in
tech skills
h a r l e s Shambry isn’t sure
✓ if he will choose a career in
electronics, but the 18-year old
Jefferson High School senior has a
running start. Shambry a straight A
student who plans to pursue a col
lege degree already is receiving col
lege level training in electronics engi
neering at ITT Technical Institute in
Northeast Portland. He is one o f
several Portland Public School and
Southw est W ashington students
taking part in the trade school’s Elec
tronics Engineering Partnership Pro
gram. The program gives students
hands-on training. The programs are
free. From 1 to 3 p.m. Monday through
Friday, they leave their respective
high schools to learn electric engi
neering principals and theory at the
institute combined with lab work.
Some o f the students also earn high
school and college credits in the pro
gram. If they choose to continue in
the trades and pursue their college
degree at ITT. They enter as second-
quarter students, ahead o f other stu
dents who must start from the basics.
Alan Borders, an ITT representative
said the program also puts students
on the fast track toward earning not
only as associate’s degree but a
bachelor's degree. He said students
can earn their BA in three years. ITT
students also are placed in jobs right
after college, although Borders em
phasized the institute does not guar
antee anyone a job. He said the
impact PCC has on district residents,
The report concentrates on the short
term economic impact, stating that it
"makes no attempt to estimate the
impact o f many o f PCC’s other ben
efits, like open access to education,
community outreach and improving
the quality o f life in the region.”
A multiplier or “ripple effect” is
applied to a best estimate o f three
categories o f spending: college op
erations, take-home pay o f college
employees, and student cost-of-liv
ing expenses, excluding tuition and
ing exam at a rate o f 95 percent,
compared to the national average of
78 percent. Portland State Univer
sity students consistently outperform
students from other engineering
schools on the national exam. Over
the past five years, an average o f 90
percent o f PSU graduates passed the
FE exam-apass rate 25 percent higher
than the five-year national average
o f 71 percent.
The fundamentals o f Engineering
exam is taken as the first step toward
professional engineering licensing.
It is generally taken shortly after re
ceiving a bachelor’s degree.
The Portland State University
mission is to enhance the intellec
tual, social, cultural and economic
qualities o f life by providing access
to a quality liberal education for un
dergraduates and to an appropriate
array o f professional and graduate
programs especially relevant to the
metropolitan area.
Portland State University is the
states only urban grant university and
the second largest university in Or
egon University system in terms of
enrollment, offering 62 bachelor’s
and 56 master’s degrees plus doc
toral degrees in eight areas.
PSU grants one quarter o f the
state’s graduate degrees annually.
For more information, please con
tact Jan Woodruff, Director o f M ar
keting & Communications, at 503-
725-8785
- Were
VW J. V .
C h a n g in g
11,1 W orld?
* V
One Bin At A Time.
f you're like most
Portlanders, you're
committed to recycling.
It's part of what makes
our city special. And it's
why we recycle more than
most other communities
in the nation.
I
We've Come
A Long Way.
Since 1991, we've increased
the amount we recycle by
more than 300% and
decreased what goes into
our garbage by 38%. It
w ouldn't have happened
without you, your neighbors
and nearly 250,000
yellow bins.
Take Pride.
Before you head to the curb
this week, give yourself a
pat on the back. Then look
for ways to trim your trash
even more. For example,
you can recycle most types
of paper, including
magazines, milk cartons
and scrap paper such as
cereal boxes and junk mail.
And — rain or shine —
put your filled bins out on
recycling day. Rain w on't
hurt recyclables.
Keep up the good work.
And remember, every bin
makes a big difference.
i.
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
C ity of porti an d
823-7202