For Immediate Release
Contact:
Matthew Cookson, USNH, 603-862-0904 Matt.cookson@usnh.edu
College Students to Develop Marketing Plans to Retain More Grads for the 55% Initiative and use Manchester as Pilot City
Additional data analysis shows that more than 50% may currently be staying, but those who have earned four-year degrees leave at the highest rates
January 15, 2008 – Manchester, NH – Efforts to keep more New Hampshire college students in the state after graduation keep moving forward, as classes of marketing students at four different colleges and universities will help develop marketing ideas and plans to keep more of these individuals in state. The students will use Manchester as a focal point for demonstrating the changes that have occurred in the state that may make it more appealing to new graduates. This action and other next steps were outlined by University System of New Hampshire (USNH) Chancellor Stephen Reno today when he provided an update of the 55% Initiative at a Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce breakfast forum.
The 55% Initiative sets a goal of convincing 55% of new graduates to “work, play, and stay” here, as compared to the roughly 50% who currently stay. The effort was unveiled by USNH a year ago, has received significant support from the business, government, and nonprofit community, and now has substantial data that can be used to develop a “tourism-like marketing campaign” later this year.
“We do a great job marketing the state to tourists. Why can’t we do a better job marketing it to soon-to-be graduates?” Chancellor Reno asked the audience. “What better way is there to develop a campaign aimed at college students than by tapping the ideas and creativity of current marketing students?”
Classes of marketing students at the University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University, Keene State College, and Southern New Hampshire University will work this spring on marketing ideas that will be designed to encourage more fellow students to remain in state. They will have access to marketing materials and background information used by the City of Manchester as part of a regional marketing effort to attract and retain young workers and companies, and a large scale survey of college seniors and alumni that was commissioned by USNH.
Results of more than 3,100 surveys of New Hampshire college seniors and recent alumni were released in December and demonstrate a very positive perception of the quality of life in the state, but show that many of these educated individuals leave because they are concerned about job opportunities here. The surveys were developed by the UNH Survey Center and funded by the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development, a strong supporter of the 55% Initiative.
The findings included the following: First, nearly a quarter of all seniors surveyed had not decided if they were going to leave or stay in the state upon graduation. Second, of those who planned on leaving, 52% said they would consider moving back (a large number of alumni who moved away provided the similar response). Third, a large percentage plan to and actually do leave upon graduation because they believe there are few or no job opportunities for them in their field of study. Last, for those who plan on staying, 94% cited the quality of life in New Hampshire as a positive factor.
Nearly 15,000 students earn degrees each year at New Hampshire’s public and private colleges and universities. Anecdotal data showed that about half left the state upon graduation. Through analysis of the surveys and additional data, it appears that more recent graduates are now staying and more may be returning in their 30s. New data revealed that while only 34% of those earning bachelor’s degrees currently remain after graduation, nearly 53% of overall degree holders are staying in NH. As a result, to reach the 55% mark, 323 individuals who are earning a four-year degree and plan to leave the state would need to remain each year. The data also showed that across the USNH institutions, the percentage of graduates remaining in the state has gone from 49% in 1999 to 57% in 2005. Given this new data, the goal of reaching 55% in five years has been reduced to three years. Follow up surveys of college seniors will be implemented to measure progress once marketing efforts are underway.
“I moved back to NH two years ago from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, after 10 years living out-of-state. Experiencing college in California, living abroad in New Zealand and in other cities in the U.S. has certainly helped to shape who I am,” said Corissa DeSaulnier, who runs BUZZ PR and Promotions and attended the Chamber event. “What is more profound for me though, is that I’ve grown an entirely new appreciation for New Hampshire having lived away. I chose to move back to NH to start a company here because I knew the business environment was ripe for entrepreneurs and the social environment was supportive of a new culture and attitude. I also wanted to be back near my family, as I thought about starting my own. I knew NH would be the right home base for the lifestyle I want to lead at this stage in my life.”
The University System of New Hampshire has been partnering with business, professional and community leaders, policy makers, higher education, and the state’s young professionals’ networks to develop the 55% Initiative. Next steps include the class marketing efforts, developing a team of marketing experts to create a campaign from this work to test market it in the fall, and looking at how to better promote job opportunities in the state through a single web site that is student-friendly and linked in to other web sites that promote the state.
“There are false perceptions out there regarding job opportunities in New Hampshire,” said Kate Benway, who participated in the event and is marketing manager for the City of Manchester and chair of the Manchester Young Professionals Network Board. “If we can replace the perception with truth and reality, then we can convince more people to stay.”
Executive summaries of the surveys and additional background on the 55% Initiative can be found at http://www.usnh.edu/initiatives/55.shtm