A report from the The State University Education Deans revealed that future teachers in Ohio have a huge economic impact on the state’s economy.
The State University Education Deans (SUED) is a group of deans from Ohio’s public colleges of education including schools like Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami and Ohio State University, according to a university press release. The group’s mission is to ensure high-quality education teaching candidates that are prepared for employment in schools and other professional settings.
Ohio University and its counterparts including research, alumni, small businesses, students and visitors contributed a total of $2.9 billion to the state economy for the 2017 fiscal year.
The largest of those contributors include professional interns from The Patton College of Education who supplied over $12.9 million in 2017.
For the 2016-17 academic year, teacher candidates from Ohio universities accounted for 514 teaching positions in public school districts, bringing in $92.4 million dollars to the state economy.
Dean of The Patton College of Education, Renée A. Middleton, said the 2018 SUED study represents the exceptional quality of OU’s education programs.
“Our teacher candidates are valuable resources for students and school districts throughout the state,” Middleton said in a university press release. “They serve as co-teachers and mentors to students and provide a tangible economic benefit to the communities they serve.”
Top economic impact by education students from state universities include Bowling Green State University with $14.4 million, Ohio State University with $13.4 million, OU with $12.9 million and Miami University with $12.4 million.
On a broader scale, an economic impact study released in May said that OU created more than 40 thousand jobs for fiscal year 2016-17. Further, one out of every 174 jobs in Ohio was supported by activity at OU.
Another aspect of the 2016-17 economic impact study showed that OU alumni from the past 30 years created $2.2 billion for state income. This is equivalent to supporting almost 32,000 jobs in the state.
The recent economic impact value study, along with the SUED study, exemplify how OU and its counterparts continue to be a force in Ohio’s annual economic growth.
