After the White House’s community college summit this week, Gateway Technical College President Bryan Albrecht wrote an editorial for The Journal Times of Racine, Wisconsin. In his commentary, Albrecht pointed to an impact study conducted by EMSI as evidence of Gateway’s positive regional impact.
The path to college and career is clear for many of our graduates, but what is often not as clear is the community impact Gateway graduates provide in building a strong community through their work and service. In a 2006 independent survey conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists Inc., it was stated that for every dollar invested by you, the taxpayer, there is a cumulative return of $1.24 or a 24 percent return on your investment. More importantly are the skills that are used every day to serve and protect us. Gateway graduates are our firefighters, nurses, police officers. They fix our buildings, our cars and our computers. They teach our children, design our streets and protect our land and water use. (Emphasis ours).