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The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's economic impact on the state of Maine has risen more than 31 percent in just three years, to a remarkable $738 million per year from $560 million in 2010.

The 2013 independent study, conducted on behalf of ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ by chief economist Chuck Lawton of Planning Decisions Inc., underscores ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's significant and growing economic benefit to the state.

³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's contributions to student education, work force development, and Maine's quality of life are well-established.  This most recent report reflects more than a threefold increase since PDI's initial ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ study in 2007, which revealed a $233 million impact.

"The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ has always served as an economic driver, enriching the life of Maine's communities. But what is particularly striking in 2013 is how ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's rising student enrollments, establishment of two new colleges, campus facilities investment, and employment growth have driven these impressive numbers," says ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ President Danielle N. Ripich, Ph.D.

A snapshot of the 2013 report reveals:

• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ serves over 8,000 enrolled students, including 5,600 full-time students:
• Approximately 3,600 attend ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's Biddeford or Portland Campus programs, with 2,500 coming to ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ from outside Maine
• Close to 2,000 (within and outside of Maine) pursue distance education
• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ students spend $33 million per year in Maine.
• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ employs 1,059 people, pays over $76 million in salary and benefits, and spends $69 million in non-personnel operating expenses - over $32 million of which went directly to Maine businesses. It is the 7th largest employer in York County and the 26th largest in the state.
• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ has created 179 new jobs in Maine since 2009, an increase of more than 20%.  Over the same period, total wage and salary employment in Maine grew less than 2% and dropped 0.7% among Maine’s top-50 employers.
• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ employees reside in 93 Maine municipalities representing every county in the state.
• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ provides sales for 745 vendors located in 97 municipalities representing every county in Maine.
• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ-generated spending creates over $22 million in state and local tax revenue.
• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's 576-acre Biddeford Campus and 41-acre Portland Campus include 56 buildings and together are valued at more than $240 million.  Over the past seven years, the University has spent nearly $115 million maintaining and upgrading its facilities. 
• Clinical services provided by more than 1,000 ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ graduate and professional students as part of their educational programs is valued at more than $21 million.
• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ attracts more than 15,000 out-of-state visitors who spend over $11.5 million each year in Maine.
• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's cumulative economic impact amounts to $738 million in sales to Maine businesses, supporting the equivalent of 2,700 jobs earning a total of over $133 million.

One of ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's greatest long-term economic contributions to the state is the estimated $323 million human capital impact created by its graduates who choose to stay, live and work in Maine.  The profound positive effect that ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ graduates have on Maine's work force will continue to grow as new programs meeting the needs of the state - such as dental medicine - are introduced.

Additionally, ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ is a significant contributor to Maine's cultural landscape:

• The Center for Global Humanities offers seminars and lectures by leading scholars from around the world. The Center believes in the vital necessity of a humanities culture to civic and democratic life and works closely with local communities to encourage reading, discussion and debate.  
• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's Portland Campus is home to both the Art Gallery and the acclaimed Maine Women Writers Collection, a permanently endowed library special collection of literary, cultural, and social history sources by and about Maine women authors.
• ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's Biddeford Campus is home to the George and Barbara Bush Center and Legacy Collection, which houses material anchoring the Bush legacy in Maine.
• The Maine Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Network, which operates from ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's Center for Community and Public Health, delivers critical health care education and resources to rural and underserved communities in nine Maine counties.

About ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ

The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ (³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ) is an innovative health sciences university grounded in the liberal arts, with two distinctive coastal Maine campuses and unique study abroad opportunities.  ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ has internationally recognized scholars in the sciences, health, medicine and humanities; offers more than 40 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs; and is home to Maine's only medical school. It is one of a handful of private universities with a comprehensive health education mission including medicine, pharmacy, dental medicine, nursing and an array of allied health professions.  ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's interprofessional education initiatives prepare future healthcare professionals to practice comprehensive and collaborative team-based care. Both graduate and undergraduate students engage in research and scholarship alongside dedicated faculty who are committed to their academic and professional success.