Economics alumnus Charles Lehman (B.A. 1963) has donated $30,000 to the University of New Mexico for a campus-wide license of IMPLAN, the leading software for assessing economic impact.
IMPLAN allows economists, geographers, planners, and other researchers to evaluate the economic and environmental impact of different economic development projects and policies. Several UNM economists have used IMPLAN to estimate the economic contributions to the state of existing and proposed entities and policies, including the Health Sciences Center, the 19 New Mexico pueblos, U.S. military installations, oil and gas regulations, alcohol taxes, and community micro-grids.

Now this powerful tool will be available to a much wider group of UNM researchers and students.
IMPLAN is industry standard for input-output models, which were developed by Nobel laureate Wassily Leontief. Leontief’s work quantified the structural relationships among industries and demonstrated that growth in any one industry creates ripple effects throughout the economy.
Campus-wide access will support research, enhance grant-activity, measure progress toward UNM 2040’s economic development goals, and train students for jobs in planning, economic analysis, program evaluation, and related fields.
"As a UNM alumnus who greatly benefited from my education at the university, I am pleased to help support the acquisition of this important system. Its use in research by faculty and students will significantly benefit New Mexico and its citizens," said Lehman.
Lehman graduated from UNM in 1965 with degrees in economics and mathematics. He was an economist with the New Mexico Department for Workforce Solutions (then the Department of Labor) for over 30 years.
In his work with the state, he recognized the value of input-output studies, and he is enthusiastic about supporting a project that will bring input-output analysis to the wider UNM campus community.
“We are grateful for the support from Charles and the University to bring this fantastic tool to students and researchers at UNM,” said Economic Chair, Melissa Binder. “The Department of Economics is excited to integrate IMPLAN into our graduate and undergraduate courses and to expand its use in our research.”
Lehman’s gift covers one-third of the license cost over three years. The Office of the Vice President for Research, the Department of Economics and the UNM Bureau for Business and Economic Research (BBER) will cover the remaining costs.