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Growing brain drain: University of Alabama's gain in drawing Illinois students

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This is only a snippet:
At Alabama, Illinois now is one of the biggest feeder states and the top supplier outside the South. About 6 percent of Alabama’s first-time undergraduates in 2017 were from Illinois, outnumbering students from Texas, Florida and Tennessee. Only Georgia sent more of its residents to Alabama this year, according to university data.

Barth said Illinoisans often make ideal students because they not only are academically successful, but also resilient and mature enough to handle moving far away from home.

The milder weather — and a powerhouse football team — only help the recruitment.

“We know if we can get them down here, and we provide the support they deserve and they experience our climate, they’re going to be a very happy student, and they will persist to graduation,” Barth said.

It was enough to win over Ally Shipley, 18, and her family. She is a freshman at Alabama.

“One of the most important things is, does your child enter school on a positive note?” said father Rick Shipley of Mokena. “As we think back, we saw how excited she was after she talked to prospective roommates. She was very happy to be there. She was not nervous about being that far away.”

The pristine facilities, the geniality of the people and the variety of extracurricular activities also made immediate impressions for many students and parents.

“It was the first school I ever visited, and I set myself up for failure because nothing compared to Alabama after I walked on this campus,” said Tobin of Oak Lawn. “It’s like a campus out of a movie.”
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Growing brain drain: University of Alabama's gain in drawing Illinois students is a loss for Illinois schools
 
My daughter is going to WKU in the fall -- and as a parent, I want my child to be in a safe town.....where education is more in focus than "partying", and a place where she won't have to go into extreme debt (she got a scholly ;))......Bowling Green is a great little city.....and happy to have her go there.

But, if T-town had offered her a scholarship (she tried) -- i'd have been more than proud to have her go.
 
I'm generally pleased with the out-of-staters (they pay more) and hope they are not like the young lady from New Jersey who recently came to light. Alabama is not the state she is sometimes mischaracterized outside the state.
On the other hand, I do hope the University does not lose sight of the fact that it is Alabama's University. University grads grow up to be the leaders of the state, including legislators and governors, and they have a significant impact on budgets thirty years down the road.
 
Tidewater said:
I'm generally pleased with the out-of-staters (they pay more) and hope they are not like the young lady from New Jersey who recently came to light. Alabama is not the state she is sometimes mischaracterized outside the state.
On the other hand, I do hope the University does not lose sight of the fact that it is Alabama's University. University grads grow up to be the leaders of the state, including legislators and governors, and they have a significant impact on budgets thirty years down the road.
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This is also the factor which worries me. Most of these kids don't stay in Alabama. They depart for their home states after graduation...
 
TIDE-HSV said:
This is also the factor which worries me. Most of these kids don't stay in Alabama. They depart for their home states after graduation...
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Question: Do you know if UA has a specific program in place to recruit students to remain in Alabama?

Or specific employment/placement counselors?
 
I'd venture to say that the people who come to UA are the kind of folks who:
a) are not prejudiced (I mean ANY kind of bias, not just race) against the South based on what they've heard
b) might be but are the kind that can set aside their biases OR
c) take what they've heard about the South as a challenge


What I mean is, we get the best ones leaving the state to come down here. The ones who look down their noses - and I lived a year near Champaign and they are legion there - and disparage the South based on what they've read.....they stay home. The ones looking to learn or see or who come with the baggage but can set it aside......those are what we need.


I have no idea why anyone even from Illinois would go back there after escaping. I love them talking about all their wind and snow. Hey, there's buses and planes leaving the state every day.
 
CajunCrimson said:
My daughter is going to WKU in the fall -- and as a parent, I want my child to be in a safe town.....where education is more in focus than "partying", and a place where she won't have to go into extreme debt (she got a scholly ;))......Bowling Green is a great little city.....and happy to have her go there.

But, if T-town had offered her a scholarship (she tried) -- i'd have been more than proud to have her go.
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Congrats to your little girl, CC.....sounds like a great place for her to attend. I see WKU pop up from time to time on our football schedule too - always fun to play them. Best wishes going forward!
 
I’m fine with outsiders coming in. Many do leave, but some should stay. We might lose a House seat in 2022, so any boost to the population is welcome.

And with this being a state that overwhelmingly voted for Trump and nearly sent Roy Moore to the Senate, some outside influence could help.


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Speaking for Californians, a lot of my CA classmates at UA came because they were getting the full-ride academic scholarships that they couldn't get in CA. Some I know returned to CA after graduation, and others have remained in AL or remained in the South. I don't see myself returning to CA, but never say never.
 
Bazza said:
Question: Do you know if UA has a specific program in place to recruit students to remain in Alabama?

Or specific employment/placement counselors?
Click to expand...

Not that I'm aware of, though they do offer very competitive scholarships for the high achievers.

Dr. Witt wanted to set Alabama on a course to eventually be considered on the same level as the best public universities out there, and one way you do that is by attracting the 'best and brightest'. So far, it's working.
 
Crimson1967 said:
I’m fine with outsiders coming in. Many do leave, but some should stay. We might lose a House seat in 2022, so any boost to the population is welcome.

And with this being a state that overwhelmingly voted for Trump and nearly sent Roy Moore to the Senate, some outside influence could help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Yeah, coming from a state that has sent FOUR of its last SEVEN governors to prison would be such an improvement......


(Not that I disagree with your general point).
 
CaliforniaTide said:
Speaking for Californians, a lot of my CA classmates at UA came because they were getting the full-ride academic scholarships that they couldn't get in CA. Some I know returned to CA after graduation, and others have remained in AL or remained in the South. I don't see myself returning to CA, but never say never.
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I LOVED northern California when I lived there but......it......costs.....WAY.......too......much.....
 
selmaborntidefan said:
Yeah, coming from a state that has sent FOUR of its last SEVEN governors to prison would be such an improvement......


(Not that I disagree with your general point).
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Of our last seven elected governors, two were kicked out of office and another went to prison after leaving office.

The others were Bob Riley, Fob James, George Wallace and his wife.


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Crimson1967 said:
Of our last seven elected governors, two were kicked out of office and another went to prison after leaving office.

The others were Bob Riley, Fob James, George Wallace and his wife.


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Not much hope and change to be found there.

(Again, I don't disagree with your basic point but applying it to Illinois is just so....amusing)
 
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