Mayor Michael Nutter wants others to follow in his footsteps: Penn-educated, then Philadelphia-employed.
In a press conference last week, Nutter said that encouraging graduates of Philadelphia colleges to work in the city is a priority for his administration.
On the whole, however, graduating students do not stay in the city. In Penn Career Services' 2008 survey of Penn graduates, only 15 percent of those who responded were working or studying in Philadelphia. Of those, more than a third were going to graduate school.
Only one tenth of the graduating class of 2008 stayed in Philadelphia to work.
One student who has stayed in the city is Luke Butler, deputy press secretary in the Mayor's Office and Fels School of Government graduate of 2007.
He said the mayor is doing "everything that he can" to keep Penn graduates in Philadelphia - including offering 50 "destination fellowships" for work at City Hall - but the availability of jobs is the most important factor.
The mayor is working to lure companies to the city to increase the number of available jobs.
Last October, Aberdeen Asset Management doubled its operation in Philadelphia with encouragement from the mayor, Butler said.
Additionally, the mayor hopes to "create the perception of Philadelphia as a great place to live," he said.
However, with the city's budget under review, there is no certainty that all the mayor's programs will continue, Butler added.
The mayor's office works with nonprofit organizations such as Campus Philly to target students directly.
Campus Philly works with students before they graduate to create a working community for students in Philadelphia through internships and networking events.
The company's founder and director, Jon Herrmann, graduated from Wharton in 2000.
He said students would consider staying if they knew more about the city.
Since Philadelphia is more affordable than other large cities, it is possible to "take risks" with careers and graduates sometimes come back to the city for that reason, Herrmann said.
Campus Philly is running an "internships in Philadelphia" event with Career Services on Feb. 18.
Career Services director Patricia Rose said Penn students are good for the city and current students would benefit from a stronger local economy.
"There would be more opportunity for internships and part-time jobs," she said.
Rose added that as the economy slows, there will be fewer jobs in places such as New York City, where the financial sector is a major source of employment.
"Students no longer have a lemming-like impulse to go into finance," she said.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, has a range of industries like education, health care, non-profits and legal services, she said.
