Allison Allie, 23, understands the lure Southwest Florida holds for retirees. When her parents bought a vacation home in Naples three years ago, Allie, who was majoring in sports marketing and management at Indiana University at Bloomington, checked into interning here the summer before graduation.

She found Florida Gulf Coast University's Web site and sent some e-mails to its athletic department. As it turned out, men's basketball coach Dave Balza knew her family from connections up North. Allie interned that summer with the men's basketball team and then took a job in the sports information department after graduating from Indiana University, which allowed her to pursue her MBA for free.

"Being up North, Florida is always the dream. You work in the cold each year to make money and someday to move down and retire," she says. "The opportunity came where I could flip that view-go down and work now instead of waiting all my life."

FGCU and the region's other colleges and universities are pumping money into new facilities and degree programs-often with donations from local companies and philanthropists-as they take advantage of demand from students looking to continue their education or head south from colder climates for school, and the area's growth. In turn, the colleges are creating jobs and offering opportunities for local workers to advance professionally.

While FGCU, Edison College, International College and newcomer Ave Maria University all compete for students, each has niches of its own. And in different ways, they've impacted the economy and captured the attention of business owners, who have helped to create degree programs and offer scholarships and other assistance.

All the local schools are growing, with ever-expanding enrollment numbers and facilities. International College, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary in Southwest Florida, is expanding its Naples facility and opening a $14-million Fort Myers campus. Ave Maria has established an interim facility at the Vineyards subdivision in Naples, which will accommodate 400 students (it currently has 300 students from 40 states and eight foreign countries). The permanent campus, near Immokalee, is slated to open by summer 2007.

"Even with International College putting up a new facility here in Fort Myers, with Ave Maria going down in Naples and Florida Gulf Coast [University] right in between, there is more demand than we can really meet," says Gene Solomon, a Fort Myers-based certified public accountant and chairman of fund-raising for Edison College Foundation's board of directors. "I don't think we're overlapping."

STUDYING THE IMPACT

Consider the number of jobs created by campus construction programs. Add in the percentage of students who enter the local workforce after graduation. Those are just two factors when determining the economic impact of the schools. The impact is evidenced when neighborhoods, commercial areas and office parks are created nearby, hence FGCU's role as a catalyst in Estero and plans for the town of Ave Maria in Collier County, which will have 20,000 residents when developed.

FGCU president Bill Merwin estimates that the state's newest university-and one of the fastest-growing in the nation-contributes a quarter-billion dollars to the local economy each year. That's taking into consideration the school's annual budget of $83 million as well as the 1,000 faculty and staff and 6,100 students who spend money on housing, groceries, automobiles, health care and other items.

When Merwin arrived at FGCU in 1999-two years after it opened-the school had eight buildings. Today there are 52 buildings, growth that Merwin figures generated another $220 million for construction and capital outlay equipment."The building that's gone on on this campus has really benefited this local community in incredible ways," he says.

In addition, visitors who come to FGCU for athletic events and academic conferences stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants and shop locally.

Ave Maria is in its beginning stages as the first Roman Catholic university to be built in the United States in more than 40 years. Through its unique partnership with Barron Collier Cos., which is developing the town of Ave Maria, the university is expected to create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue. Through 2016, a total of 3,867 new jobs are expected, along with $290 million in revenues generated from payment of ad-valorem taxes and impact fees, according to an analysis prepared by Hank Fishkind & Associates for Barron Collier Cos.

Edison College's plan for an expanded nursing program funded by local hospitals shows how one program alone can connect with local needs-this time, it's the nursing shortage. The initiative will offer an Associate in Science nursing degree and is projected to generate $98.2 million in educational capital over the next five years, according to Edison officials. The program, still subject to state approval, is expected to provide 620 additional RNs in five years to Southwest Florida hospitals.

It is projected that 124 of 129 graduates will find work immediately, each earning an average wage of $42,260 a year. The economic impact of these 124 salaries, with a 25 percent benefit rate, is $6.5 million a year. These placements will generate a cumulative combined income and benefits package from 2005 through 2010 of $98.2 million.

International College's student body-adults already anchored in the economy-is probably the most closely connected with the business community. The school graduates approximately 400 students each year. Some of its programs are in partnership with Nova Southeastern, which is based in Fort Lauderdale. Until its recent venture in Cape Coral's interim academic village, Nova did not have specific buildings for its use; instead, the school used other facilities in the area.

"Our student body stays here, so our students, once they graduate, are in the workforce," says International College president Terry McMahan. "I know they're having an impact."

Many International College students have jobs, so they appreciate the flexibility of attending classes in the evenings, on the weekends and through distance learning. The school is offering new health-care-related programs in Naples; and U.S. News and World Report's Best American Colleges 2005 recognized International College in the adult learners, diversity and student-to-instructor ratio categories.

At FGCU, students come from all around the country and the world, which was another surprise to Allie.

"I just had an opinion that they'd all be from Fort Myers," says Allie, who is three classes from graduating and now works in the FGCU Foundation office as coordinator of events and special projects.

Smart partnerships

Officials at all the schools admit they wouldn't be handling the explosive growth without the support of local companies.

Edison started as a two-year community college in Fort Myers and now has locations in Charlotte and Collier counties as well as a service center in Hendry County. The school is considering building a campus in Hendry, responding to demand inland, especially for agriculture and environmental programs. Total student enrollment is nearly 16,500, and school officials say 90 percent of the students are either employed locally or plan to stay in the area after graduation.

The school is getting set to introduce its first bachelor's program in public service and management, which will allow those interested in law enforcement, fire science, paramedical and other related fields to stay at Edison and complete their degree.

In Collier, businesses and economic development officials have taken particular interest in Ave Maria, hoping the school will help increase the area's closely-watched average wage, which is one indication of the strength of its economy.

"There's been tremendous encouragement from every segment of the business community," says Ave Maria president Nick Healy, who serves on the board of directors of the Economic Development Council of Collier County.

Healy says one of the interesting things he has observed is the emphasis on bringing jobs to the Immokalee area, partly because of the recognition that the agriculture industry is increasingly under pressure. Ave Maria, as well as Immokalee Regional Airport, (also called the Florida Tradeport), are viewed as two resources that will grow high-wage jobs.

The school and town being created through the partnership with Barron Collier Cos. influenced a Polish company's decision to relocate to the Tradeport. "One of the reasons that they were willing to locate [here] was because of Ave Maria," Healy says. "There are the cul-tural and education opportunities that will be offered through the university. And with a new town and a whole broad range of housing, from moderate priced to high priced, they see places for their executives and workers to live."

International College also has corporate partnerships with Lee, Collier and Charlotte's largest employers. Banks, homebuilders, hospitals, accounting firms and others provide tuition assistance for students.

"It's been vital," McMahan says.

The same appreciation is felt at state universities, where budgetary concerns have made the schools rely more on private donations and partnerships. Since Merwin has been president at FGCU, the university has raised $140 million in private donations to fund degree programs, faculty and staff positions, and scholarships. The fund-raising happened so quickly that the goal has been upped to $200 million over the next two years, Merwin says.

"I would guess we wouldn't be half as large today if not for that generosity in the community," Merwin says. "It's a community that's really helping itself."

Like Southwest Florida's other higher education institutions, FGCU has sought to meet the needs of the community by determining where to focus education programs to fill the local job demand. Two years ago, the school launched a degree program in resort and hospitality management, which speaks directly to the region's economy and needs. This fall, the school will begin its Professional Golf Management program, a PGA-accredited program that prepares students for golf course ownership, and jobs as golf directors, general managers and teaching professionals. FGCU is the second institution in the state and one of only 16 in the country to offer the program.

Through the $1-million donation from Bonita Bay Group's David Lucas, FGCU is starting a real estate development and construction program. Its School of Engineering, with degree programs in bioengineering, environmental engineering and engineering management, is launching this fall.

"The promise that we could improve this area-its quality of life and its economy-that's why the institution was set here seven years ago. And we're just doing it," Merwin says.

In the same way, Edison officials pay attention to local workforce demands in hopes of providing qualified graduates to fill the jobs. New programs "require business partnerships and agencies, and businesses that can benefit from students going through those programs often will pitch in," says Maureen McClintock, vice president for institutional advancement.

Businesses pitch in by funding degree programs and scholarships, and via naming opportunities-one such opportunity being Edison's new conference center at its Collier campus.

Solomon says that while there's a certain amount of overlap among Southwest Florida's higher education institutions, most large businesses are finding a way to support more than one school. And there's an upside to the growth at all the schools. "It's raising the awareness in the community," Solomon says. "It's like a mass marketing program among all of us."

In the next five years, FGCU's enrollment is expected to double to 13,000, which Merwin estimates will yield a half-billion dollars annually in economic impact.

While the teachers' standards and the coursework pressure is much like what she experienced in Indiana, Allie says professors and students seem to enjoy their time in Southwest Florida.

"It's very much the same in the sense that the teachers still bring that university cutting-edge feel to the classroom," she says. "But it is a relaxed atmosphere in the sense of people are friendly and people are taking their time a little bit more."

Class Notes

EDISON COLLEGE

. The average age of students is 27.

. 57 percent of students are 24 years old or younger.

. 58 percent of Edison students work more than 30 hours per week; only 11 percent are not employed.

. In 2004, 80.5 percent of Edison College Associate in Arts transfer students at state universities had GPAs at or above 2.5; the Florida community college average with that GPA is 74.2 percent.

AVE MARIA

. Already more than 300

students from 41 states and seven countries are enrolled; eventually the school will be much larger.

FGCU

. Enrollment: 6,198.

. Most popular colleges: Business, 1,528 students; Arts and Sciences, 1,418 students; and Health Professions, 836 students.

. 90 percent of students are from Florida, 65 percent are from the local five-county area.

. Out-of-state students are from 45 different states, including the District of Columbia; 341 students are from other countries.

INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE

. Enrollment is about 1,700, which is expected to rise when the new Fort Myers campus opens later

this year.

. The median age of students is 33.

. A majority of students are adult learners who maintain full-time jobs. Students use flexible scheduling, online courses and accelerated programs that are designed to accommodate their busy

schedules.

. Since it opened in 1990, more than 3,000 students have graduated from International College.

Dean's List

Companies and business leaders have contributed to Southwest Florida's colleges and universities. Here are a few grade-worthy efforts.

Ben Hill Griffin III: FGCU would not be around without former Alico

chairman Griffin, who helped establish plans for the school and donated 760 acres for the university.

Barron Collier Cos.: Partners in developing Ave Maria University and the accompanying town with Ave Maria creator and Domino's pizza mogul Tom Monaghan. Barron Collier Cos. donated 750 acres for the university and owns the land for the town.

David Lucas: The Bonita Bay chairman and his wife, Linda, donated $2 million to establish the Lucas Institute for Master Planned Community Development and Finance. FGCU matched with another $2 million to create the institute, which expects to start course work towards the Real Estate Development Executive MBA in fall 2005.

NCH Healthcare System: The Naples organization is giving more than $1 million to Edison to establish an Associate in Science nursing program. Other local hospitals have committed an additional $822,000 to the program.

Jack Antaramian: The Naples developer has donated 75 acres of land

valued at $7.5 million to FGCU. The school plans to use the parcel for a biotechnology park-partly fueled by the demand for jobs expected to be created by Scripps Research Institute's arrival in Palm Beach.