Fellowship awards hope to keep new Hoosier graduates in Indiana

In 2001, business leaders of prestigious entrepreneurial companies throughout Indiana addressed a growing problem and conglomerated to form the Gov. Bob Orr Fellowship Award, an attempt to encourage the brightest Hoosier graduates to stay in the state.\nThe program is designed to seek out and establish the next generation of entrepreneurs in Indiana, an attempt to reverse what many have come to refer to as the "brain drain." This year's Fellows are the fourth group to take on paid, full-time two-year contracts with Indiana's most successful and fastest-growing companies. The applicants come from the state's best schools, and this time IU students claimed four of the 11 spots. \nThese companies act as sponsors to the Fellows, helping to build mutually valuable relationships where the graduates promote growth in the business while being rewarded with networking and expansion opportunities. This is achieved by placing the Fellows in regular positions with the host companies and treating them as regular employees.\nSenior Nicole Ross from Kokomo, Ind., will be one of this year's Fellows. In May she will receive her bachelors degree in business marketing before going to work with ExactTarget in June. However, being a Fellow encompasses much more than the average nine-to-five workday. \n"In addition to working with our companies, we will actually be involved in running the Fellowship organization," Ross explained. "Under the direction of program directors, we will form committees to handle everything from the finances to community service projects to social events to next year's recruitment."\nEligibility for the Fellowship award is limited to either Indiana natives or those who have graduated from an Indiana college and plan to immediately pursue a career. This includes international students with a degree from one of the state's colleges or universities but not students with advanced or professional degrees. \nAnother IU Fellow is senior John Robbins from Anderson, Ind. Robbins will soon receive his marketing degree and, with graduation on the horizon, he's happy to have some time to relax before carrying out his Fellowship. \n"I can't wait to get started, but I'm definitely looking forward to some downtime in between school and the real world," he said.\nThough both Ross and Robbins are Fellows whose interests lie in marketing, where they actually want to go with their careers is a different story. \n"Eventually," Ross said, "I would like to have experienced a variety of business roles so I have the skills necessary to enter the animal-care industry successfully. Ideally, I will be involved either in my own business or in a animal-focused not-for-profit. \n"I realized some time ago that being passionate about animals did not mean I would automatically be successful in the animal field. The Orr Fellowship program will help me develop the skills necessary to make an impact in the lives of animals 10 years down the road."\nRobbins hopes to work as a key company executive or start his own business with one of his personal passions.\n"I'd like to be a senior executive with a company I'm passionate about or I'd like to be running my own business," he said. "I've always been very involved in auto racing, so I'd like to be doing something in the industry if I pursue my entrepreneurial aspirations."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Caitlin \nMurray at ckmurray@indiana.edu.