Philadelphia's initiative to keep area college students in the city after graduation appears to be working -- at least in theory.
Campus Philly, a group aiming to retain college students, published a report last week that stated current students are more likely to want to stay in Philadelphia than they were in 2002.
In the latest survey, done in the fall of 2005, 65 percent of students said that they would be likely to stay in the city after graduation. Only 15 percent said they would be unlikely to remain in Philadelphia.
This is an improvement from the spring of 2002 when only 50 percent of respondents said they would likely stay in the area, and 20 percent said they would likely go elsewhere after completing college.
Whether or not those numbers translate into students actually sticking around remains to be seen, but city officials are optimistic.
"It shows that we're seeing the results that we've hoped for," said Josh Sevin, the manager of Knowledge Industry Initiatives for the Philadelphia Department of Commerce.
Sevin's department helped organize the Knowledge Industry Partnership, a three year old city-funded initiative to attract and retain the best and brightest young minds.
"More and more research shows that the economic success of cities and regions is tied to the ability to keep talent," Sevin said.
The Partnership is composed of three independent organizations: Campus Visit, Campus Philly, and Career Philly.
The idea behind the program is that there are three steps to having a talented pool of young workers in the city.
Campus Visit attracts students to the area, Campus Philly engages current students in an attempt to make their time in school more enjoyable, and Career Philly helps students find internships and employment in the area.
The Philadelphia metro area contains over 80 colleges and universities so the number of potential workers is high.
"If we were able to keep all those people, that would be a big contribution to Philadelphia," said Jon Herrmann, Executive Director of Campus Philly.
The goal of Herrmann's group is to fulfill the intermediate phase of KIP's plan.
"Campus Philly's role has been getting people to have a better experience here," Herrmann said. "We connect college students to life in Philly."
The group achieves this goal a number of different ways. Campus Philly offers a weekly newsletter with information on area events and discounts to local stores and food spots.
At the beginning of each school year, the group distributes a booklet to campuses to help freshmen get acquainted with the city.
There is also the Campus Philly Kickoff, a city-sponsored festival in late September including a free concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and free admission to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and several other museums in the city for anyone with a college ID.
And now, with the latest positive survey results, it appears that the program is working.
Since there are many more students enjoying their time in Philadelphia, the next task is to help find jobs for graduates.
Patricia Rose, the Director of Career Services, also serves on college advisory board for Career Philly and works on the final component of the initiative.
She said that while Career Services does not dictate where people should work, the advisors try to make sure that students are aware of opportunities in Philadelphia.
Her office works in conjunction with Career Philly to make this happen.
"We think Philadelphia is made stronger by keeping Penn graduates here," Rose said.
And since the goal of Career Services is not only to help students find employers, but also to help companies find workers, there is another reason for all parties involved to look locally.
"We're anxious to work with Philadelphia employers to help them hire and retain Penn students," Rose said.
Another program attempting to keep graduates in the city is the Philly Fellows program.
Philly Fellows offers a one-year fellowship to area students looking to get involved in the non-profit industry.
The fellows live together in program-provided housing and attend a leadership training program.
According to Matt Joyce, Co-Director of Philly Fellows, the goal is "to get students more engaged in the city."
Joyce said that Philadelphia is a great city for graduates to work in.
"This city has the resources and infrastructure in place ... it's just making sure the students know about it," he said.
The first class of Philly Fellows will begin the program in July and has 15 members from five area colleges, including seven from Penn.
One of those seven is Shera Kenney, a 2006 Penn graduate.
Kenney said that she preferred to live in a city in the northeast after graduation, and staying in Philadelphia was a top option.
Becoming a Philly fellow was a great way to get involved in non-profits -- her desired field -- and remain in the area, she said.
"Philly Fellows makes it easy to stay in Philly," Kenney said. "They provide housing and not having to pay for that is appealing."
