College presidents outline how these institutions boost regional economy

DANVERS – Colleges are good for the regional economy.That’s the message seven college presidents collectively delivered Wednesday during a forum sponsored by the North Shore Chamber of Commerce at the Danversport Yacht Club.”Higher education is an important business to the North Shore,” said Salem State College President Patricia Meservey, noting that the institution she oversees annually pumps about $250 million into the local economy.According to Meservey, Salem State College provides 3,500 jobs, adding that 2,000 of those employees live on the North Shore. Meservey said the college attempts to align its academic programs with the region’s workforce needs.Dr. Helena Sturnick, president of Montserrat College in Beverly, described the institution as a gem, an intellectual hub and a bastion of creativity that brings vitality to its host city and the North Shore. Although the college “teetered on the brink of closing” only 15 months ago, a benefactor helped save it from being acquired or merged, she explained.”On Saturday, we had the first-ever ground-breaking for a new building at Montserrat,” she said. “It’s a success by hundreds of people and our plans for growth will continue.”Sturnick said the college injects $6 million annually into the local economy. “Not bad for a small college of 281 students,” she said.The college president emphasized that 70 percent of the Montserrat faculty and staff live on the North Shore and own their homes. “We have had a major impact on Beverly,” she said.Endicott College President Richard Wylie noted that the private education sector in Massachusetts is responsible for creating 90,000 jobs. “We’re the largest economic business machine in Massachusetts,” he said.Endicott College has 47 buildings. Eighty-four percent of students live on campus and the college is currently erecting a new center for the performing arts, Wylie said.Mark Sargent, provost at Gordon College, said satellite centers in Boston and Lynn expand the institution’s reach and provide new learning venues for its students.Gordon College recently dedicated the Ken Olsen Science Center. “We wanted the building to be a civic place,” said Sargent, explaining why the $30 million structure is sited in the center of campus and features a large loggia and lecture hall.The college has increased its course offerings to include emergent green chemistry, processing and reuse of waste products, and alternative energy sources. It also has established sustainable agriculture programs in Haiti and Honduras, Sargent said.Dr. Ghazi Darkazalli, president of Marian Court College in Swampscott, said 100 percent of the students perform community service. Forty percent are Lynn residents. Another 11 and 8 percent hail from Salem and Peabody, respectively. Four percent are Swampscott residents. The remaining students live in Beverly and other nearby communities.The college has nurtured strong relationships with area high schools, such as St. Mary’s in Lynn and the Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute, he said. Darkazalli said Marian Court students are primarily enrolled in business and criminal justice curriculums.Dr. Ronald Champagne, president of Merrimack College, said the institution celebrated its 61st anniversary on Sept. 29. During the event, he met the college’s first registrant, who in 1947 picked Merrimack College over the more than 3,600 other colleges nationwide.When Champagne asked the man to explain his decision, he was told, “Because it’s a special place founded by the Augustinians.”Champagne said the college is proud of its roots and continues to adhere to the philosophy that students are taught how to learn and then to love learning.Merrimack College hopes to add graduate programs such as a master’s in business administration to its fields of study, he said.Dr. Wayne Burton, president of North Shore Community College and master of ceremonies at the event, said 80 percent of the college’s graduates remain on the North Shore. A third o