In the News: The Covid-19 Census Could Cost College Towns Millions
The Covid-19 Census Could Cost College Towns Millions
From the Chronicle of Higher Education
By Danielle McLean MAY 27, 2020
“The impact is apparent in Morgantown, W.Va. Leidos, a government-contracting company, used the Census to decide recently to expand its footprint in the city, home of West Virginia University, in part because it was attracted to the work force, backed by a young, growing population, said Russell Rogerson, chief executive of a local business organization, the Morgantown Area Partnership.
But as of May 21, Morgantown’s self-response rate was about 19 percentage points below its 2010 rate of 64.5 percent. Like many colleges, West Virginia University is trying to reach its off-campus students with mass emails, said Ron Justice, the university’s local-government-relations specialist and a former Morgantown mayor.”
