Graduation may still be months away, but it is already a safe bet that few seniors will stay in Rhode Island to begin work. Dan Egan, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Rhode Island, told The Herald last week that the state retains fewer graduates from Brown than from other Rhode Island colleges and universities, where retention rates are "between 10 and 15 percent." But Bridge, a new program spearheaded by the association and its member institutions, aims to increase these numbers.
Bridge is in its formative stages, and much of the work currently being done involves surveying students to gather data that will guide the program. But Bridge's focus is clear — eliminating the disconnect between Rhode Island's opportunities and attractive features and students, who may scarcely travel off College Hill.
Greater retention of Brown students would benefit the state and the University. There are far fewer residents with bachelor's or advanced degrees in Rhode Island than in Connecticut or Massachusetts, which harms the state's attractiveness to business. Keeping more Brunonians in-state would not only help ameliorate this problem, it would also strengthen ties between the University and the community. And a larger body of local alums would be very valuable to students looking to network.
Connecting students to local internships will be a critical task if Bridge is to succeed. Richard Bendis, CEO of Innovation America, an organization that helped Philadelphia address poor retention rates, said in an Oct. 31, 2009 Providence Journal article, "Statistics say the more students you get engaged in internships as early as you can, the higher retention rate you're going to have." But in the same article Bendis pointed to "figures that show 64 percent of college graduates select a location to move to before they choose a job," indicating that more goes into the decision to leave Rhode Island than employment considerations.
To that end, the University must recognize that promoting staying in Rhode Island means more than matching students and employers. Nick Werle '10 suggested to The Herald that Brown could make living around Providence more attractive by extending library and gym privileges to recent graduates. This is a sound idea — a free place to exercise and access to the library's bountiful resources would be small but important incentives, especially in a poor economy when graduates are looking to save money.
Economic incentives to keep students in-state would also increase Bridge's effectiveness. The Herald reported yesterday that State Rep. Chris Blazejewski is championing legislation that "would provide graduates of Rhode Island colleges or universities a tax credit … if they remain in the state to work" and extend "tax credits to companies that volunteer to pay down the student loans of the graduates they employ."
Rhode Island's businesses, government and colleges and universities all stand to benefit from greater graduate retention, and all have a role to play in achieving that goal. We look forward to seeing these efforts advance and encourage all students thinking about their future to take a look around the Ocean State.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
