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Arizona Western College tells Yuma County it fuels local jobs and $320M in annual activity
Summary
AWC President Daniel Korr told the Board that the community college now serves about 13,000 students, supports roughly 5,700 jobs and generates roughly $320 million in regional income, citing a Lightcast analysis; supervisors asked questions about survey response rates for the nursing program and applauded the college’s growth.
Arizona Western College President Dr. Daniel Korr told the Yuma County Board of Supervisors that the college is a major economic engine for the region, serving about 13,000 students and supporting thousands of local jobs.
Korr presented a Lightcast economic-impact analysis and institutional data, saying the college’s payroll exceeds $44 million, AWC supports more than 1,300 employees and ‘‘we're over $256,000,000 in additional regional income’’ from alumni earnings and ripple effects. He said AWC’s activity equates to ‘‘about 1 in 23 jobs in Yuma County’’ being directly linked to the college.
Why it matters: Board members said the numbers help justify investments and partnerships that benefit county workforce development and local industries. Korr emphasized transfer and graduation gains at AWC—describing sustained growth in transfers to three state universities and record numbers of graduates that prompted the college to hold two commencements in one year.
Board questions focused on data methods. A supervisor asked about the 'response rate' for the nursing program’s graduate-employment figure; Korr said the nursing survey located about 80–85% of graduates and that Lightcast produced the broader economic estimates. The president characterized the Lightcast methodology as substantial and said he would share more detailed documentation on request.
The board thanked Korr for the presentation and for expanding programs that feed regional workforce pipelines. No board action was taken; the presentation was received for the record.
