Coming and going. And staying
October 18, 2018 |
Coming and going. Students have always passed through our campus at Xavier. Where they come from and where they go seems to be changing, though. And that makes an impact on our entire community.
Only 23% of the class of 2022 comes from the Cincinnati area; more than 60% of incoming first-year students hail from out of state—the most ever. We are becoming more geographically diverse.
And after they graduate? Like other Big East schools, nearly all Xavier’s alumni live in major metropolitan areas, with Chicago (8.4%), Columbus (2.8%) and Cleveland (2.2%) following Cincinnati (46.5%) over the past ten years, according to the Wall Street Journal’s map of university graduates (unfortunately behind a paywall).
It seems that our recent graduates especially like Cincinnati: 61% of the class of 2016 stayed after graduating.
By my reckoning, that makes Xavier the leading university importer of college graduates to Cincinnati from out of state.
Employers couldn't be happier. As I heard again yesterday from a fast-growing software company with a new hub in Ohio, they prioritize recruitment of talented graduates.
That’s why the Cincinnati regional chamber of commerce invented next week's Big College Event—part job-and-internship fair (for all majors), part advertisement for the city community itself. Here’s hoping more Xavier students settle here, as members of a flourishing community.
David Mengel
