Will I stay or will I go

At graduation this year, they might as well have a big, green interstate sign that says, "You are now leaving Indiana." Because, if on May 5 you find yourself in Assembly Hall wearing a creepy black gown, chances are, you probably are.\nGranted, many of you probably want to leave this state, and I can't blame you. The weather is inhumanely erratic, we are close to neither mountain nor beach and it's darned near impossible to find a nonstop flight to anywhere (even Chicago).\nBut there are probably others of you out there packing your suitcases in that morose way that immediately identifies a soon-to-graduate college senior. If you belong to this group, you probably enjoy the low cost of living and, well, whatever else there is to enjoy in Indiana. But you are leaving Indiana because, in short, you are not a scientist.\nAs many seniors looking for work have no doubt already realized, the biotechnology industry dominates Indiana, especially Indianapolis. If you have a major in chemistry or biology, you've probably had no problem finding a job. Otherwise, you are realizing the Hoosier job market is tough. \nNow that the state's trying to convince people to stay around (and who wouldn't want to? I mean, "Restart Your Engines" practically screams fun and excitement), it needs to come up with something for the hordes of future Hoosiers to do.\nIt's not that biotechnology is inherently bad, but alone, it's just not enough. I might not be a business major, but I know that any financial manager will tell you to "diversify," and that's just what this state should do. If something were to happen to the biotech industry, the state's economy would be in shambles.\nIt might not be easy, and it surely can't be done overnight, but it needs to be done. State officials are justifiably concerned about the relatively low percentage of college-educated adults moving to and staying in Indiana, but it's time to turn that concern into stronger action. State officials, if they truly want to retain their college graduates, need to consider ways to attract a larger variety of businesses to Indiana.\nIU, in turn, needs to keep this in mind as it begins a new focus on biotechnology. IU is, right now, the liberal arts school in Indiana, and if we forget this, more of the state's most promising high school students will simply leave sooner rather than later. \nThe fact of the matter is that not everyone likes or excels at science. \nThe bottom line is that if you want people to stay, you need to give them a reason to do so and something to do while they're here. Without these minimum standards, the next PR firm might as well throw in the towel and make the new state slogan "Bon Voyage"