The Economic Value of WTAMU Main Report
This report assesses the impact of West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) on the regional economy and the benefits generated by the university for students, taxpayers, and society. The results of this study show that WTAMU creates a positive net impact on the regional economy and generates a positive return on investment for students, taxpayers, and society.
This report assesses the impact of West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) on the regional economy and the benefits generated by the university for students, taxpayers, and society. The results of this study show that WTAMU creates a positive net impact on the regional economy and generates a positive return on investment for students, taxpayers, and society.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Multiplier effect Additional income created in the economy as the university<br />
and its students spend money in the region. It consists <strong>of</strong> the income created<br />
by the supply chain <strong>of</strong> the industries initially affected by the spending<br />
<strong>of</strong> the university and its students (i.e., the direct effect), income created by<br />
the supply chain <strong>of</strong> the initial supply chain (i.e., the indirect effect), and the<br />
income created by the increased spending <strong>of</strong> the household sector (i.e.,<br />
the induced effect).<br />
NAICS <strong>The</strong> North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) classifies<br />
North American business establishment in order to better collect, analyze,<br />
and publish statistical data related to the business economy.<br />
Net cash flow Benefits minus costs, i.e., the sum <strong>of</strong> revenues accruing from<br />
an investment minus costs incurred.<br />
Net present value Net cash flow discounted to the present. All future cash<br />
flows are collapsed into one number, which, if positive, indicates feasibility.<br />
<strong>The</strong> result is expressed as a monetary measure.<br />
Non-labor income<br />
and dividends.<br />
Income received from investments, such as rent, interest,<br />
Opportunity cost Benefits foregone from alternative B once a decision is<br />
made to allocate resources to alternative A. Or, if individuals choose to<br />
attend college, they forego earnings that they would have received had<br />
they chose instead to work full-time. Foregone earnings, therefore, are the<br />
“price tag” <strong>of</strong> choosing to attend college.<br />
Payback period Length <strong>of</strong> time required to recover an investment. <strong>The</strong> shorter<br />
the period, the more attractive the investment. <strong>The</strong> formula for computing<br />
payback period is:<br />
Payback period = cost <strong>of</strong> investment/net return per period<br />
Appendix 2: Glossary <strong>of</strong> Terms<br />
82