RPI SEEN AS ECONOMIC ENGINE.(BUSINESS)

Byline: KEVIN HARLIN Business writer

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute pumps $428 million annually into the region's economy through salaries, construction, research and other activities, according to an impact study commissioned by the Troy-based university.

RPI President Shirley Anne Jackson on Tuesday released the study, echoing a pitch heard more often at colleges and universities that growth on campus fills coffers off campus.

``Many times, the long-term view of what that impact is is not immediately obvious,'' Jackson said, standing in front of the administration building Tuesday afternoon.

RPI hired the New York City-based consulting …