Monday, November 23, 2009 East Central Illinois
The Answer Book 2005
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B.A., B.S., M.A., Ph. D.: C-U is truly a community of letters BY JULIE WURTH © 2009 THE NEWS-GAZETTE We think we're pretty smart here in Champaign County, and we've got the numbers to back it up. The University of Illinois, of course, is a huge influence, bringing in highly educated faculty and graduate students to study and live here. Two major hospitals and a number of computer-related firms also attract educated workers. What that means for our way of life, community observers say, is that we enjoy good schools with involved parents, varied entertainment, strong parks and libraries, a better transit system than we know what to do with and a relatively stable economy.
Cultural amenities in particular are impressive, he said, from the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts to WILL radio and television. "These are things you just don't find in a town our size" unless it has a major educational institution, McCollum said. But the ripple effects aren't felt throughout the community, as Census figures show. While the county ranks 18th statewide in median family income - $52,591 - it also ranks 11th on the poverty scale, with 16.1 percent of the population living in poverty. Of the 70,619 households recorded in the 2000 Census, well over half - about 41,000 - earned less than $45,000 a year. "You're either college-educated and you're doing pretty well, or you're poor, with limited resources," said Darlene Kloeppel, social services director for the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission. "There are jobs that require Ph.D.s and there are jobs that are service jobs that you can do in high school, and not a lot in between." On the housing front, those who have well-paying jobs can afford quality homes, but others struggle, she said. Even with rental housing, college students' preference for high-end apartments drives up prices and prompts developers to build luxury units with pools and tennis courts, not affordable housing, she said. Urbana schools Superintendent Gene Amberg calls it a "real have-and-have-not syndrome" that most people aren't aware of. Only about 25 percent of the community has school-age children, he noted. "People think of a college town as this bucolic, well-educated utopia," he said. "The fact is, we have more than 50 percent of our children on free and reduced lunches." On the plus side, the educated populace provides hundreds of volunteers and mentors who help schools tremendously, he said. Employers in town also benefit from a well-educated work force, Kloeppel said. Spouses of faculty or administrators recruited to the UI sometimes take jobs for which they're overqualified. Kloeppel noted that six of her 20 employees have master's degrees, even though their jobs require only a bachelor's. Generally, well-educated communities have stronger and more stable economies, said former UI President Stanley Ikenberry, now a higher education consultant. As the nation's economy moves through recession and recovery, Champaign- Urbana's remains fairly constant, he said. "We experience the highs and lows, but they don't tend to be as sharp," said Ikenberry, who's working on a national initiative to help the American public understand the benefits of higher education. Educated citizens increase their community's economic competitiveness, generate tax revenue for the state and help it adapt to technological change, he said. Society relies on universities to train its "professional infrastructure" - doctors, teachers, ministers, scientists and lawyers, he said. Then there are the noneconomic benefits, such as lower crime rates and better schools. That's why many college graduates, and retired administrators like Ikenberry, choose to retire in college communities like Champaign-Urbana, he said. People with higher education levels tend to value things like walkable neighborhoods, tree-lined streets, bike paths, public transit and swimming and recreation facilities, Amberg said. They're also more sophisticated consumers, Kloeppel said. They know how to use computers and look things up on the Web, so they're well-armed before they make a purchase or call her agency with a question. The transient nature of the community can be a liability, particularly when it comes to civic involvement, McCollum said. Many students and faculty come from other places, and their loyalties lie back home. Interest in local history - one of his loves - is not nearly as great as in nearby Vermilion County, where families have lived for generations, he said. That could also explain why Champaign County residents often travel for leisure, rather than vacationing nearby, Kloeppel said. Then again, maybe it's the cornfields. |
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