President Lester Lefton met with city and university officials Thursday morning to discuss Kent State’s economic impact on northeast Ohio.

The university commissioned a  study that found  Kent State and its eight campuses contribute $292.4 million to northeast Ohio’s economy annually. The report, conducted by Economic Modeling Inc., found that income added through the university accounts for 1.5 percent of the region’s economy.

Kent State and its eight campuses generated $1.96 billion in added income to northeast Ohio’s economy in 2007-2008, including $292 million in added income related to its business, and research operations, according to the newly released study conducted by Economic Modeling Strategies.

Contact administration reporter Jenna Staul at [email protected].