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The greater Marquette area is on the cusp of undergoing an annual conversion when Northern Michigan University students return in numbers for the fall semester.
Although a reduced number of NMU students have been present throughout the summer, the real change will take place in the next several days as thousands of young people, often ferried by worried parents and/or guardians, find homes in the university's dormitories or off campus.
And it's a change that a great many permanent area residents, including us at The Mining Journal, have learned to anticipate and appreciate over the years.
The students have a great many beneficial impacts on our area, of that there can be no doubt. There is something extraordinarily nice about having young people in our midst from all over the state, country and, indeed, world. This commingling of cultures and creativity contributes to a kind of positivity that's hard to duplicate.
All of that said, though, for this writing, let's talk money, the amount of it the university contributes into the local economy. The number is big: about $311 million, according to the university's own internal numbers.
NMU employs about 1,200 part- and full-time workers while over 4,500 total jobs in the area are directly or indirectly tied to the university, about 1 in 33 in the Upper Peninsula and 1 in 6 in Marquette County.
University data suggests that NMU students spend approximately $53 million in the U.P. each year, with an economic impact of $74 million. University students occupy about 43 percent of the local rental units.
Digital news magazine UPword reports that NMU students contribute about $21.3 million in volunteer and community service work each year.
People visiting the Marquette area -- estimated at 123,000 a year -- because of the presence of university students spend a lot, too, upwards of $6.3 million annually, according to UPword.
So you see, the university is much more than athletics and academics. It is central to the lifeblood of the region. Let’s all of us try to keep that in mind if anyone is inconvenienced in any way by NMU students.
Welcome back, NMU!