Source: Kerri Day Keller, 785-532-1691, kdkeller@k-state.edu,
News release prepared by: Emily Vietti, 785-532-2535, evietti@k-state.edu

Monday, April 4, 2011

KEEPING THEM HOME: KANSAS THE CHOICE FOR NEW K-STATE GRADS WHEN IT COMES TO JOBS

MANHATTAN -- When it comes to Kansas, well, there's no place like home.

Career and employment services at Kansas State University recently released its postgraduation bachelor's degree statistics for the 2009-2010 academic year, and the results are encouraging for the university, the state and the region.

The findings reveal that of the graduates who are employed, 65 percent have chosen a first job in Kansas. Seventy-three percent are in Kansas or Missouri, and a full 78 percent are in the larger, five-state region: Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Colorado.

"This shows that K-State graduates are successfully landing jobs, and that our graduates value remaining in the state," said Kerri Day Keller, director of K-State career and employment services.

In the last decade the number of K-State graduates who have accepted a first job in Kansas has grown nearly 10 percent, up from 57 percent of the 2000-2001 graduates.

"The real story, looking over the past decade, is that we're keeping more recent graduates in the state," Keller said. "This is consistent with nationwide trends that new college graduates prefer to find employment within 50 miles of their hometowns or their college towns."

Of the 2009-2010 graduates with bachelor's degrees analyzed, 89 percent are either employed or pursuing further education.

The data were collected from 85 percent of K-State's 2009-2010 bachelor's degree graduates, with 2,793 graduates participating.