Lindenwood President Touts School's Economic Impact On City

At Wednesday’s St. Charles Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Lindenwood University President Dr. James Evans gave a presentation on how Lindenwood has contributed to the economic health of St. Charles County.

According to the university’s administrative offices’ report "Lindenwood: A Major Midwestern University," Lindenwood’s total economic impact on St. Charles County is more than $600 million a year.

The report said almost 700 of Lindenwood employees primarily shop and volunteer in the county. Evans said 75 percent of Lindenwood alumni also live and work in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Additionally, the report claims Lindenwood student volunteers have contributed over 53,000 hours of community service to the area.

Evans said the goal of the presentation was to help business owners encourage others in their area to attend Lindenwood. He also said Lindenwood simply wanted to remind the public of the university’s public worth.

“A lot of people don’t know how big we are, how much revenue we cause to be generated in the region, and the various other ways in which we enrich the lifestyles of the residents of this area, such as the and the free Speaker Series, and the radio station and the TV station,” Evans said.

City Councilman Tom Besselman, Ward-2, said he was shocked when Evans spoke as if Lindenwood had achieved this success on it’s own.

“They said that they get nothing from the city,” Besselman said. “I think the city has helped them out a lot.”

Evans said he would like the St. Charles city government to recognize Lindenwood's worth.

"I would hope that the city government will come to habitually think of itself as a partner of the university," Evans said. "I think it already off and on thinks that it is Lindenwood’s partner, and it is. But I would like city government to develop the mindset that it is always partner of Lindenwood and Lindenwood is always its partner. We can do a lot working together."

Lindenwood University, Chamber of Commerce to Partner

Wendy Rackovan, vice president for communications for the chamber, said Lindenwood students and their parents come to town and eat in St. Charles restaurants, shop at local grocery stores and stay in area hotels. 

"Those parents and those students they spend so much money in town," she said. "If we didn't have the students coming in town, things would be so much different." 

St. Charles Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the University in a new "Paint the Town Gold," campaign to welcome students and their families back to the city at the start of the new school year.

Businesses will be able to get signs and banners to hang in their windows to let students know they are welcome in their stores. Rackovan said banners should be available sometime after Aug. 1. Many students move in to school on Aug. 17. 

Anyone interested in the signs should call the for more information.