Professor John RolfeAn "understated" research report has concluded that Central Queensland University generates more than $334 million in economic outputs and expenditure for the Rockhampton region each year.

The report remarks on impacts such as employment effects of 3017 jobs and employment income of $163.63 million and takes into account ripple effects.

"The results of the economic modeling demonstrate the substantial contribution CQU makes to the economy in the Rockhampton region," says lead report author Professor John Rolfe.

Professor Rolfe says CQU's annual impacts have been predicted based on the most realistic ‘counter scenario', where the University did not exist.

Under the counter scenario, there would be no operating expenditure, staff expenditure, international students or 50% of domestic students (assuming at least half would go elsewhere for tertiary study).

"The economic impact of CQU on the Rockhampton region is estimated at $89,919 per student at the Rockhampton Campus," the report says.

"Clearly, the impact of running operations across distance education and a variety of campuses, particularly the international ones, are generating substantial benefits to the Rockhampton economy."

Professor Rolfe said the economic impacts are likely to be an understatement of the contribution of the University to the local economy.

He says other key ways in which the University helps to stimulate the local economy include:

• - the direct provision of skilled labour and training in the workforce through contributions to human capital;
• - indirect contributions to the social capital of the region;
• - helping to attract skilled labour and other services to the region; and
• - Contributions through research activities.

The Institute for Sustainable Regional Development report was authored by Professor Rolfe with assistance from Wei Cui and Liz Sidiropoulous, and took into account techniques honed by other reports into the economic impacts of universities elsewhere in Australia.