Members of the Southern Universitysystem recently met with business owners in New Orleans to encourage them tohire graduates from schools in thestate of Louisiana.
As state officials look for ways tohelp build the economic climate, they hope they can enlist graduates by havingthem work and live in Louisiana.
“Right now we have a lot of studentsthat graduate and feel they have to leave and go to Texas, Atlanta, orelsewhere to become a success and we want to change that attitude,” said AlBarron, Director of Career Services at Southern University.
Students agree the state must dosomething if they hope to retain the top talent from the graduating class.
“Louisiana’s economy depends on theplants and I feel like I have to go somewhere else with a larger variety ofcompanies to get the best opportunity,” said first year graduate student, JemiaEllis.
“I graduate in December and haveseveral offers. I feel that Louisiana is competitive in the number of firms,but they can’t compete with the salary potential of other states,” saidJohnathan Goins, a senior in mechanical engineering.
Barron understands the concern ofstudents and is hoping to recruit small businesses and new firms to the area tohelp students in all fields.
“We are hoping to build on theprograms like TOPS, that use state money to fund education at state schools. Wewant to be able to get those former students jobs and have them prosper andhelp generate revenue so the state can grow,” Barron said.
Several things are already beingdone to help students who would like to stay here.
Every year Southern hosts a job fairwhere dozens of recruiters from the area participate.
The university also helps toorganize Louisiana Graduates, a magazine that features top students from stateschools that is distributed to companies in order to show the talent Louisianacolleges create.
Officials know it will be hard tochange the attitudes of Louisiana graduates.
“We have to stop selling Louisianaas negative,” said Erin Garic, communications director for the Chamber ofCommerce in St. Tammany Parish. “Change has to start somewhere, in the 20speople immediately associated Chicago with the Mafia. Now they are know as oneof the financial leaders of the world. We are experiencing growth in St.Tammany and with help, we hope to be a leader in the new Louisiana economy.”
