College Students Instrumental to Worcester’s Downtown Growth

Friday, June 06, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Worcester has been trying to find a way to revitalize the downtown area for some time now and may have found its answer in the form of 35,000 local college students.

In an effort to better understand the wants and needs of the local college students, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce initiated a study that was conducted in partnership with the city’s Executive Office of Economic Development.

“This data is very helpful to us as we embark on our business recruitment efforts on behalf of the city,” said Tim Murray, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. “We know that our student population is well over 35,000 and generates more than $1.2 billion in economic impact annually for our region. The students’ opinions matter and will help to steer not only our economic development efforts but also our ability to retain students after graduation to want to live and work in the city.”

The study, conducted from December 2013 to April 2014, asked 1,128 students from the colleges in Worcester a variety of questions to determine what would make downtown a more accessible and desirable place to spend time. Murray says that while the focus of the study is to examine the desires of college students, the same desires could be shared by many Worcester residents.

To see the results of the survey, check out the slideshow below.

Examining Wants and Needs

With a large and growing population of college students in the city, Murray says that this demographic is one that could ultimately help businesses and the overall community. Rather than looking to college students as a burden like some communities do, Murray believes that college students are an asset to the community.

Using the survey as a stepping stone, the Chamber plans on using the results to partner with colleges and universities in the area to better develop a relationship between businesses and higher education.

“College students are hugely important to Worcester’s economy,” said Murray. “Creating the right atmosphere and the right types of businesses will help to bring in more people, whether residents, college students, or tourists.”

Keeping Students in Worcester

While there is a focus on revitalizing the downtown area, there is also a focus of keeping local talent in Worcester for years to come.

Making Worcester a more desirable location for college students will help the economy because they will be spending their money, but the greater hope is that some of these students stick around to keep the talent that was developed in Worcester in the city.

One problem that Worcester – and the entire nation for that matter – is facing is college student retention. Oftentimes, a student will go to school in one city just to move back home or somewhere else after graduation.

Creating higher education partnerships with local businesses will help to create more internship opportunities. It is proven, according to Murray, that internships are one of the many great ways to keep students in the area because giving them these internships can often lead to job retention upon graduation.

“We really want to keep our students in Worcester,” said Murray. “To do this, we need to do a few things. We need to create a fun and exciting downtown to give students entertainment options. More internship opportunities would also be great; when internships happen locally students are more likely to graduate and stick around.”