City Leaders Gather to Celebrate "Campus Philly Day" and Discuss Ten Years of Fostering Local Students

Layla El Tannir, for GPA -- In the heart of Philadelphia’s City Hall, the deputy mayor of economic development and director of commerce, Alan Greenberger, issued a city proclamation marking May 16 “Campus Philly Day.” The mission of Campus Philly is to fuel economic growth by encouraging college students to study, explore, live and work in the Greater Philadelphia tri-state region. An exclusive group of Campus Philly’s partners and friends gathered in the building’s Conversation Hall to recognize ten years of helping college students find their futures in Philadelphia.

Before the proclamation was issued, some of Campus Philly’s most influential people said a few words about their experience with the organization. Steve Wray, a founding partner, mentioned the importance of bringing together regional leaders to address global issues. His objective in supporting Campus Philly is to grow the talent base in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Rose Ann Rosenthal, president and CEO of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Southeastern Pennsylvania, stressed connecting college folks with young entrepreneurs in the city. She also realizes that paid internships will be a major selling point to college graduates.

Robert McNeill, managing partner of the Greater Philadelphia region for Deloitte said, “It’s gratifying seeing organizations reaching their targets.” He feels that a couple of factors enabled this to happen: top talent and increased college retainment. Even global companies will benefit from locally driven business, he said. Out of a hundred employees hired by Deloitte, fifty are interns from local colleges and universities.

It was very clear that there was a lot of support for Campus Philly in the room. Greenberger believes that “Philadelphia is an outstanding place to receive a top quality education.” He believes the city has the potential to be a magnet that keeps students here after they graduate. He reiterated the impact of Campus Philly by highlighting an important statistic. In 2010, 48 percent of students stayed in Philadelphia post graduation to live and work, a 29 percent increase from 2004 when Campus Philly was first started.

In closing, Deborah Diamond, president of Campus Philly, promised to keep her finger on the pulse of what students are doing post-graduation. The new survey is aimed at those who graduated between 2010 and 2014 with a post-secondary degree from any Greater Philadelphia regional college or university. This survey has been enhanced with some additional questions to help determine multiple factors: How many graduates stay in Philadelphia after graduation or return soon after? How have students’ college experiences influenced their view of Philadelphia? How has Philadelphia enriched or impacted students’ college or graduate school experiences? To participate in this year’s survey, visit campusphilly.org/survey.

Photo courtesy of Campus Philly.