Cobb's two state universities have an economic impact of more than $860 million, according to a study commissioned by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Statewide, the impact of all 35 schools in the USG totaled $12.7 billion in fiscal year 2009, the study found.

Kennesaw State University - the larger of the two state schools in Cobb, with 22,300 students - had an impact of $701 million in fiscal year 2009, according to the study by researchers in the Selig Center for Economic Growth, at the University of Georgia - which is itself a USG school. KSU's total is up 6.2 percent - of $41 million - from 2008, researchers said.

Southern Polytechnic State University's impact totaled more than $165 million in fiscal year 2009, the study found, an increase of three percent over 2008. The school enrolled more than 5,000 students this spring.

"A college or university improves the skills of its graduates, which increases their lifetime earnings. Local businesses benefit from easy access to a large pool of part-time and full-time workers," said study author Jeffrey M. Humphreys, director of economic forecasting for the Selig Center. "In addition, for each job created on a campus, there are 1.6 jobs that exist off campus because of spending related to the college or university."

Most of KSU's $701 million in total economic impact was attributed to initial spending by the university on salaries and fringe benefits, operating supplies and expenses and other budgeted expenditures, as well as spending by the students who attended the university in fiscal year 2009, which ended June 30, 2009.

Initial spending by KSU equaled $458 million. The remaining $243 million in economic impact was created by re-spending - the multiplier effect of those dollars as they are spent again in the region. For every dollar of initial spending in a community by a University System institution, researchers found that, on average, an additional 51 cents was generated for the local economy hosting a college or university.

KSU also generated 6,000 full-time and part-time jobs on and off campus during the same fiscal year, school leaders said in a news release touting the study's findings.

"It is tremendously important that the university's impact on the local economy is expanding," President Daniel S. Papp said. "As Kennesaw State continues to grow in size and stature, we take great pride in the positive economic implications we are having on the region and communities we serve."