To stay or go: A complex decision for WKU graduates
This story was originally published in the Bowling Green Daily News
Dallas Dowell, 23 came to WKU from New Hope, KY and is currently working in Bowling Green post-graduation.
Where to live, where to work, where to apply for jobs – the life of a college graduate is full of decisions. Local officials hope that when it comes to making those decisions, they choose Bowling Green.
According to the Western Kentucky University Fact Book, there were 20,277 students enrolled for the fall 2016 semester, and of those, only 3,384 were originally from Warren County.
Workforce Development Board CEO Robert Boone has been collaborating with WKU, Southern Kentucky Community and Technical College and Bowling Green city officials to work on a plan for student retention.
At a Feb. 22 Bowling Green Daily News town hall on improving Bowling Green and Warren County, Boone said retaining WKU students was one of the workforce board’s top objectives.
“One underserved area in the past has been young people of college age,” Boone said. “We want to make sure that young people understand there are career options in this area.”
Most students move to Bowling Green from other towns and cities to pursue their undergraduate or graduate degrees. But, which factors draw these students to continue their life in the city post-graduation? Which drive them out and into other locations?
Read the full story here.
