Lilly Endowment awards $1 million to help plug "brain drain"

Author: Dennis Brown

The University of Notre Dame has been awarded a $1-million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support creation of the Indiana Careers Initiative at Notre Dame. The grant was made as part of the endowment’s “Initiative to Promote Opportunity through Educational Collaborations.”p. The grant supports a five-year plan to combat the statewide “brain drain” resulting from the large numbers of Indiana college graduates who seek post-graduate employment outside of the state. It was submitted by Lee Svete, director of the Notre Dame Career Center, and Charles R. Crowell, associate professor of psychology and director of the University’s Computer Applications Program.p. The initiative, to be implemented under the auspices of the Career Center, will help to address the “brain-drain” problem by establishing ways for Notre Dame to:p. ? Continue its ongoing work in technology transfer with city, county and regional partners to examine the unique economic and employment needs of the Northern Indiana business community and explore the feasibility of a regional technology park as an economic and employment incubatorp. ? Network with Notre Dame alumni clubs and corporate partners throughout the state to increase the number of pre-graduation internship opportunities available to Notre Dame studentsp. ? Collaborate with local, regional and statewide businesses to help advertise and promote available career opportunities in Indianap. ? Offer Notre Dame graduates financial and educational incentives to elect post-graduate careers in the statep. ? Create and deploy informational resources and online tools for recruiting and placement that will benefit not only Notre Dame students, but also graduates from other Indiana colleges and universitiesp. The Indiana Careers Initiative at Notre Dame is expected to yield significant progress toward enhancing post-graduate employment opportunities within the state, increasing the numbers of University graduates who elect to remain in Indiana to pursue careers, and establishing informational resources and educational partnerships that will be of value to college graduates throughout the state.

TopicID: 4112