Commencement 2010: More college grads staying in Michigan

Among Michigan's four-year college graduates in the class of 2010, more may remain in the state than previously expected, a top analyst says.

College commencement season has arrived and Kelley Bishop, Michigan State University's career services director, sees early evidence that a growing "brain drain" to other states will reverse into a "brain gain" here at home.

Bishop's hope is rooted largely in the numeral 59. He admits he was surprised when he saw that an extensive survey of 2009 MSU grads revealed that 59 percent intend to remain in-state.

The count only a year earlier, for 2008 grads, showed that only a record-low 46 percent would stay in Michigan. Furthermore, the count had steadily declined since the turn of the millennium, when 76 percent of graduates indicated they would set up stakes here at home.

Why the sudden gain among 2009 grads, rising to 59 percent from 46 percent?

Bishop first insists that this is not a statistical anomaly, because MSU surveys nearly 6,000 grads annually and receives nearly 4,000 responses. The so-called statistical error rate is virtually nil, compared to surveys with less than 1,000 participants.

An initial reaction from Bishop was somewhat stark. He surmised that the economy after the start of the financial crisis, in September 2008, has caused nationwide hardship.

"It's like the rest of the tight job market caught up with Michigan," Bishop says, meaning that college grads who want to leave the state are finding fewer opportunities.

Bishop's second response is more optimistic. He sees development of emerging new industries such as information technology in the Lansing area, biotechnology in Ann Arbor, and medicine in the southwestern portion of the Lower Peninsula.

Even among students who don't enter those fields, Bishop also senses that more young people want to stick and stay in Michigan. Following are snapshots of three of them.

Future teacher Victoria Pardo

Victoria Pardo, who is graduating from Wayne State University, says she not only wants to stay in Michigan, but she will also aim to uplift the less fortunate.

"My family is here, and this is my home," says the 23-year-old product of Dearborn's Edsel Ford High School. "I study math. I want to come back and help the inner-city Hispanic kids, the minority kids."

Pardo says her goals are rooted in her Christian faith. She attends Calvary Chapel in Romulus, her family's church. Before her junior year at Wayne State, she took a year off to perform outreach work with impoverished children and families in Mexico.

"That had a huge effect on why I want to help Hispanic students and minority students," she says. "Even if they don't feel they want a career in math, they should realize that if they study math, they can benefit from it.

"I think that for me to stay here, it would be good for the economy and good for the community, too. There's no sense in spending money in a different state, when I can help the economy by living here and working here."

There's only one exception. She says she wouldn't mind moving "some place warm" down the road for a year or two of graduate studies, but her long-term aim is to make her career in the Detroit area.

Pardo says she "is not really concerned" about reports of teacher layoffs in Michigan schools, caused by a sour economy that has stripped the state budget.

"Math and science teachers are an 'in' group - one who will always be in demand," she explains.

Budding entrepreneur Adam Grant

When Adam Grant enrolled at Michigan State, he figured he would earn his degree and then look for an employer to hire him. His dual majors were in advertising and marketing.

Midway through his studies, however, the 24-year-old graduate of suburban Detroit's Northville High School says his lifelong "entrepreneurial sales bug" started to itch. He established ing Magazine, a 10,000-circulation free publication that gains its revenue entirely through advertisers.

"Why 'ing'? ing isn't an acronym; it's the verb ending that denotes continuous action - the activeness of the MSU community," Grant posted on his Web site, ingising.com. "On the cover of each issue, we put a different verb in front of 'ing' that represents that month's content."

Grant wasn't finished entrepreneuring. He became a campus representative for products ranging from Apple computers to Mountain Dew soda pop. In this role, he says he learned so much that he now can advise companies on how to make better use of their campus reps. He markets this service through his second company, Campus Commandos, promising to give advice based on "best practice techniques."

For all of his marketing ideas, Grant says he really doesn't think about moving to New York City's Madison Avenue.

"I've heard a lot of this (negative) Michigan talk, but I'm a positive thinker," he says. "This is an opportunity to stay in Michigan and to be a part of the generation that improves Michigan. When they write the book about how Michigan revived itself, I want Generation Y to be a part of it."

Marketing specialist Sarah Aldrich

MSU graduate-to-be Sarah Aldrich, 22, is a product of rural Hudsonville High School who already has seen the out-of-state world. She's a professional writing major who interned one summer in New York City and another in Washington, D.C.

She doesn't rule out working and living in a major city some day. But for right now, she has landed a job even before she graduates in May. She will work in Grand Rapids as a marketing assistant for Founders Brewing Co.

"It's not what I would have expected," Aldrich says. "I really didn't know where to look for opportunities in Michigan, and I figured I would end up somewhere else."

Instead, opportunity came to Aldrich, largely through her own initiative.

She explains that, while working on a project for a writing class, she landed an interview with Founders Brewery co-owner Dave Engbers. She made a good impression, and Engbers stunned her a month later when he called back and asked her to apply for a job opening. She eventually was selected from among 200 applicants.

"Maybe Grand Rapids will continue booming with the health care industry and become a major city," Aldrich says. "It's good I had the experiences in New York City and in Washington to see what it's like to live in another city, but at the same time, I think you can find culture and high-end art and good concerts in Grand Rapids. Besides, it's a lot less expensive than if you were going to go see a show in Madison Square Garden."

She adds that she understands the pride that Pardo and Grant feel in Michigan, even though she didn't discover those feelings as quickly.

"In D.C. one time, I was out with some friends," Aldrich recalls. "One guy asked where I was from and when I told him I was from Michigan, he said, 'You have got to get out of there.' He said his motto was, 'East Coast, West Coast, fly over everything else.' That made me so angry, I couldn't even answer.

"In a place like New York City or Washington, you can land a job, but you may be with an established company. It won't be like you're doing anything new. You're just maintaining. Founders is a young company, and it's great to be part of something new, something that's going against the grain here in Michigan."

Tools for Michigan's Recovery

Bishop says a goal for Michigan leaders and educators is to increase the number of success stories such as Victoria Pardo, Adam Grant and Sarah Aldrich. He says strategies are improving each year, honing to a more united focus.

Among many ideas, Bishop says a top objective is for Michigan companies to establish more internships. While Aldrich is choosing Grand Rapids over the allure of New York or Washington, other college products might not see things the same way. Bishop points to establishment of a Web site, InternInMichigan.com, as a first step.

"You don't want to promote a brain drain out of your state when you're a state university," Bishop says, summarizing his own school's role. "Let's see if we can turn this around."