Colleges and Universities can be valuable contributors to a city’s economy. They are fixed institutions fairly resistant to business fluxes and a steady presence in the community. In citing a recent interview with current Atlantic City Mayor, Donald A. Guardian, Stockton University will soon be breaking ground on a branch campus in the financially strapped New Jersey “Casino community.” Mayor Guardian cites typical university impact studies in the U.S. having focused solely on large institutions and their impact on entire metropolitan regions. We know little about the impact of small schools on urban areas and its surrounding neighborhoods, despite recent interest in the relationship of colleges to city revitalization projects.
This research paper will demonstrate how a small Christian College can produce a positive economic effect on urban communities such as Newark, Paterson, Jersey City, Trenton, Camden, Atlantic City, and their surrounding populaces; notwithstanding a predominantly commuter population. Moreover, it will form the framework and serve as a pilot to open doors for Pillar College to develop relationships within these communities previously void of institutions of higher learning.
