Commission to fight brain drain

Every year, thousands of college seniors graduate from public colleges and universities across Indiana. State officials want to keep as many of these graduates within the state to avoid the "brain drain" problem that has plagued Indiana for the past few years.\nThe ongoing effort to retain college graduates has included programs such as Indiana First that highlight the opportunities for recent college graduates within the state. \nBut the state has continually tried to find new ways to deal with the exodus of recent graduates from Indiana. \nThe State Commission for Higher Education unveiled a new tool in the campaign to keep graduates within the state Tuesday. It is an annual magazine titled GRAD: Real World Indiana.\nThe magazine is for free and is also available online at www.GradInd.com . The object of the publication is to highlight job opportunities, growing industries and postgraduate options inside Indiana.\nThe magazine also contains information intended to help graduates with the transition from college to the working world. \n"This magazine provides answers to a lot of questions that I know I was struggling with as graduation approached," Tarl Vaughn, a member of GRAD's editorial advisory board, said.\nThe commission for higher education will mail 100,000 copies of the magazine to college juniors and seniors, with the assistance of institutions of higher learning throughout the state. \nThere are 15 state-run, four-year universities within the state, including IU and Purdue University. There are also 23 two-year Ivy Tech institutions throughout the state. \nThe state doesn't keep authoritative records of exactly how many recent graduates leave Indiana.\nBut recent study by the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute found that 36 percent of Indiana residents left the state after receiving their college degree.\nThe study, based on three surveys conducted from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, found that 89 percent of students who came to Indiana for college from another state also left after they got their degree.\nBut Dean of Students Richard McKaig said many new graduates feel most at home in big cities, where job and dating opportunities abound. And, McKaig said, most shy away from Indianapolis, the state's largest metropolitan area.\n"It seems most of the students I talk with seem to be migrating to larger cities, the Atlantas, the Chicagos, or other urban centers if they are not going to grad schools," he said. "Indianapolis is often not mentioned as one of the urban areas they mention." \nMcKaig said many decide to leave the state to pursue careers in high-tech industries, such as computer programming, that have flourished in some urban centers in recent years. \nState Commissioner of Higher Education Stan Jones said that many graduates simply aren't aware of the employment opportunities in Indiana. And the magazine should enlighten many, Jones said.\n"This publication is an example of our commitment to help Indiana's college students by providing them with comprehensive information, so they can make informed decisions about there future," he said.\nThe magazine features contributions from the Indianapolis Business Journal, Lumina Foundation, the Indiana Information Technology Association and the Indiana Department of Commerce. \nCheryl Orr, a senior associate of communications at the commission, said the magazine "is one of the strategies to keep the best and the brightest in the state and avoid the brain drain." \n"The goal of the magazine is linking students with Indiana employers and graduate schools," she said. "It is a good tool for communicating with our students"