Mississippi College Strengthens Clinton Economy

Mississippi College’s economic impact is huge in its hometown of Clinton.

The same holds true for universities across the nation. Penn State drives the economy in State College, Pennsylvania, the University of Mississippi remains an economic powerhouse in Oxford and the University of Oklahoma packs a strong financial punch in Norman. The list goes on from Coast to Coast.

Enrolling more than 5,100 students, including over 4,700 on the Clinton campus, and over 550 MC employees, the Christian university displays strength as a major economic player in Hinds County.

A sampling of MC students, faculty and staff shows they’re spending lots of cash in Clinton businesses from January through December.

“I’ve invested a lot of money in the coffee industry at Cups and Starbucks,” MC junior Matthew Atkinson, 19, of Clinton, says, with a smile. But students like him are really buying much more than hot cups of Joe.

The graphic design major is familiar with many students who are daily consumers in this vibrant Hinds County community. “I know people at MC who go on dates at Walmart and spend money there.”

From big retail outlets to the small businesses in Olde Towne Clinton, thousands of Mississippi College students and hundreds of employees are using their credit cards, cash and checks in the vicinity of the 39058 zip code.

And Clinton leaders are developing a new mall in the city in 2016. That should attract lots of customers from within the university family for decades to come once the project is completed near campus.

Mississippi College business professor Nancy Anderson is a keen observer of the economic impact of college campuses, whether in the Magnolia State or elsewhere.

“College towns create traffic and ready customers,” says Anderson, a Clinton resident. “Young people tend to spend more on food and necessities. Their families are occasional visitors who spend on them… for anything.”

Factor in thousands of students, hundreds of Mississippi College faculty and staff plus family members, and “you can see the ripple effect,” Anderson said. “Any of our small business owners in town see the difference when school is in session.”

Mississippi College students like Will Rimmer, 22, of Clinton are spending cash here, but they are also on the receiving end of paychecks from area businesses.

He works weekends and during the holidays as a floor guard at the Funtime skating rink along U.S. 80. The busy skating rink attracts plenty of MC student customers for parties. And that adds up, says Rimmer, a psychology major who also earns a paycheck as a lifeguard at Mississippi College’s Alumni Pool.

Small business owners like Jonathan Nutt, an MC graduate and administrator at the Baptist-affiliated university, embrace the student traffic. He and his wife, Anna, are the owners of James & Leigh, a clothing store in Olde Towne Clinton that specializes in apparel for young women.

“We see Mississippi College students in and out of the doors of James & Leigh all day when the academic year is in session,” Nutt says. “We love welcoming students back in August at Back to the Bricks.”

Communication professor Phyllis Seawright is a consumer, too. She frequents restaurants like Pimento’s on the Clinton campus and 303 Jefferson along the Brick Streets. The Cupboard and The Olive Branch are two of her favorite gift shops in Clinton. “They are on par with any other gift shops across the state.”

In addition, there are more than 390 current and former MC employees living in the Clinton community and contributing to the local property and sales tax base.

Known as the Muldrow Report, a professional marketing group’s study initiated by Main Street Clinton in 2008 and 2013, showed the robust impact of the Mississippi College connection to Clinton’s economy.

Among other things, the study by Arnett Muldrow found that 10.6 percent of the sales in participating Clinton businesses were attributed to MC students. By comparison, Clinton residents had 34.8 percent of the sales.

Other reports show the Mississippi College budget is more than $70 million annually, and continues to grow.

Celebrating its 190^th anniversary on Founder’s Day in January 2016, Mississippi College remains a key asset that most communities don’t possess. In this growing city of more than 26,000 residents, just outside Jackson, the Blue and Gold of Mississippi College is definitely a welcome neighbor, says Clinton Mayor Phil Fisher.

“MC’s biggest impact to Clinton is the positive worldwide image it brings to our community,” Fisher says. “Its national and growing international academic reputation is invaluable to Clinton’s positioning in today’s global marketplace.”