U Weekly. Serving The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio

Columbus: O-Wait ... Students: I-Go

By Lauren Hepler

As the largest graduating class in The Ohio State University's history collected their diplomas, the Columbus economy hopes the 8,162 graduates don't continue walking out of Ohio after they walk out of the Ohio Stadium.

Since fall of 2006, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce has been expanding their "Attract and Retain Talent" initiative to keep the 115,000 students attending the area's 25 colleges and universities as close to Columbus as possible after graduation. The Chamber website translates the Columbus area's 115,000 students and 20,000 annual graduates as a potential workforce of nearly 1 million.

"The ability to retain graduates within our region and the state is a matter of both workforce and economic development," said Susan Merryman, vice president of marketing and communications at The Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

The efforts to retain the graduates are varied.

For example, around 60 young professionals organizations meant to engage prospective employees in the Central Ohio community. Also, the LiveWorkPlayColumbus.com website is designed to "sell" Columbus as a multi-faceted work and social community.

The main endeavor, however, is ColumbusInternships.com, which lists hundreds of internships with the goal of matching local students with an employer for whom students will presumably continue working after graduation.

Since the launch of ColumbusInternships.com in 2006, more than 4,500 students have joined over 400 registered employers in utilizing the free service, according to Merryman.

"Retaining graduates ensures that employers have access to the highly skilled workforce they demand. The presence of a high quality workforce can serve as the differentiating factor as businesses consider sites for relocation and expansion."

Still, according to a June 2009 study by the education reform-minded Thomas B. Fordham Institute entitled, "Losing Ohio's Future," 58 percent of Ohio grads are "planning to leave the state within the first few years of finishing school." The study found the main motivation for this statewide "brain drain" relates to the 90 percent of Ohio college students who list a state's job opportunities as a priority, and only 11 percent giving Ohio an "excellent" rating.

When it comes to judging the state in terms of being an "active, exciting and fun" place, 10 percent gave Ohio a rating of "excellent."

"Generally, the reasons students depart a community, region or state are tied to perception," Merryman said. "Do they feel a connection to that community, do they perceive the opportunity to achieve the lifestyle, work-life balance they seek and desire?"

The previously stated efforts to retain graduates involve influencing such perceptions, as Merryman said, "which results in a strong belief that staying in the Columbus region is as good an option - if not better - than leaving the state for opportunities elsewhere."

Nevertheless, some students still feel the need to break out of Ohio borders.

"I felt like I had other options outside of Ohio," said Hart Ford, a 2007 honors graduate with degrees in math and French. "I grew up near Columbus, and I wanted something different."

After visiting France as a teenager, and again to teach English while studying abroad, Ford decided to move to France after graduation.

"I'm living in Paris now," Ford said. "I'm working on my master's degree in international relations and interning in the French Parliament, and I don't regret leaving. I may go back in the future, but not now."

Yet students, not just the economy, stand to benefit by staying local.

Merryman pointed out the opportunities for entrepreneurialism working in a growing city with 15 Fortune 1000 companies.

"There is a wide range of professional opportunities in diverse industries," Merryman said. "Columbus also boasts an outstanding quality of life, a comparatively low cost of living, and a young, vibrant population."

The Columbus Chamber is building relationships with all local colleges and universities to tap into this young population, especially OSU, said Merryman.

"Certainly, The Ohio State University is the biggest within the group [of area universities], and we partner with them whenever and wherever possible," Merryman said. "The university has been very supportive and engaged in implementing this program."

Still, OSU Career Connection does not specifically encourage or discourage students from leaving Ohio and offers extensive listings of both out-of-state and in-state jobs and internships.

For those seeking in-state work, however, the Columbus Chamber's website, Columbus.org, seeks to cultivate the image of Central Ohio with a "three-pronged initiative to attract and retain the workforce needed by our businesses today and tomorrow."

Originally Published: July 1, 2009

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