Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus is a major player on the economic scene, infusing more than $32 million into Fayette County and more than $60 million overall into the state last year alone, a study released recently reveals. According to the study, Penn State Fayette is one of the largest employers in the county, putting to work more than 200 people at its campus and 200 more in various other capacities throughout the state. The findings are from a study commissioned by Penn State University that measured the economic impact of the university system, which in addition to the main campus in State College takes in 21 branch campuses and two affiliate institutions. "I believe this report emphasizes to the community the value of our resources," Gregory Gray, executive officer for the Fayette campus, said during a press conference announcing the results of the study. "For years, I've talked about this campus being a social, cultural and economic hub, and this report describes the specific economic contribution it provides to Fayette County and the state." The study, which was done by Tripp Umbach and Associates Inc. of Pittsburgh, showed that the Fayette campus is also a significant tax-revenue generator, pumping more than $525,000 into county and $3.8 million into state coffers in 2003. The survey also measured the role the campus plays when it comes to community service. The study found that last year, students and employees donated more than $3.3 million to the community in time and money. Gray said the impact the campus has on the economy ties directly with growth in enrollment and facilities at the site in the past five years. During that time, enrollment has increased about 33 percent to bring the total to more than 1,050 students, while various projects have been completed to bring the number of buildings on campus to 11, including a new $10.2 million community center, said Gray. "I think this is something we can be proud of and pleased with," he said. "I think this adds to the vitality of our campus community." Gray said there are also plans to expand the curriculum in the near future. He said the campus plans to add two or three more majors to the five bachelor degree programs now offered and one or two more majors to the nine existing associate degree programs. He said more than 11,000 visitors came to the campus last year for conferences, seminars and sporting and other events. The campus, located along Route 199 between Uniontown and Connellsville, has also been instrumental in helping to attract a number of new businesses to the county, said Mike Krajovic, president of the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council. He said companies looking to start up locally often look to the campus as a resource for technical expertise, skilled workers and other assistance. "These are the types of things they're looking for," said Krajovic. "These are the kinds of things this campus has been able to offer." One of the companies the campus helped attract is Advanced Acoustic Concepts, a high-tech firm that does work for the Navy. "When we decided to set up, it was clear whatever we needed was right here," said Brian Boyle, executive vice president. "The campus has been a shining light for us." Another business that credits the campus with helping bring it to the area is ProLogic Inc., an advanced software company. "The leadership shown at Penn State was certainly an impetus for us to locate here," said Bill Mysinger, a company executive. "They were committed to what we wanted to do." The study showed the Penn State system as a whole is one of, if not the biggest contributor to the state economy, generating in excess of $6 billion annually. The system has more than 83,000 students and supports more than 60,000 jobs both direct and indirect, according to the study. In 2003, it generated more than $492 million in tax revenue for the state.