The pandemic has interrupted daily life all around Long Beach, and the Cal State Long Beach campus is a prime example: With classes moved to the virtual realm, the otherwise busy campus is eerily empty.

But the absence of students from the university’s physical campus doesn’t mean its contributions to the local economy have ceased, faculty and alumni said during a panel discussion on the school’s economic impact Monday.

“The spending impact on the local and regional economy is just a drop in the bucket,” said professor Seiji Steinmetz, chair of the CSULB economics department. “What we produce here is a way of thinking about the world and a way of being productive, engaged and, for lack of a better word, informed citizens.”

The local university ranks seventh in the nation among roughly 1,500 universities in terms of social mobility, which means socioeconomically disadvantaged students are able to better their financial situation after graduation.

The contributions of Cal State Long Beach faculty and students have continued even amid trying times. Though fewer students are contributing directly to the local economy, the real product of the university is creating informed citizens, Steinmetz said.

Alumni panelists also discussed an under-utilized opportunity for the university to collaborate with the city and local businesses to create pilot programs on a variety of subjects.

“I think it’s really important for us, for the city leaders, to be able to think about opportunities for the university to help us accomplish our goals,” Councilwoman Suzie Price, a class of ’94 CSULB graduate and former president of the Associated Students nonprofit on campus, told attendees. “We should be funding pilots all over, in every department that the city has.”

While funding projects long-term is often a challenge for the city, one likely to be exacerbated by pandemic-induced budget shortfalls, Price noted that there is plenty of funding available to explore potential solutions to city challenges like homelessness.

“We’re barely scratching the surface,” Price said about the utilization of those funding opportunities. “We have tons of money to fund pilot programs.”

For the university, city-funded pilot programs provide an excellent research opportunity, she added. “Where is there a bigger lab to work from than the city of Long Beach?” Price said.