June 12, 2024 · Program Impact, Talent

Innovate Alabama Grant Helping Alabama Keep Its Best and Brightest College Grads

Keeping our best and brightest college graduates is pivotal to Alabama’s current and future economy. It’s also part of the Innovate Alabama core pillar of Talent Development – fostering a robust, skilled workforce capable of sustaining an innovation economy.

The Higher Education Partnership, an Innovate Alabama Network designee, advocates for Alabama’s 14 public universities and received an Innovate Alabama grant to expand and intensify its Student Retention Council (SRC). The Council was initiated in Fall 2022 to address the need expressed by Alabama college students for better student representation in decisions about their futures.

“How do we keep the best and brightest in Alabama – that’s what we’re helping solve with this grant,” said Gordon Stone, Executive Director of the Higher Education Partnership of Alabama. “We’re very excited to have been chosen by Innovate Alabama. When I see these young people and I hear their voices and their passion, and how they’ve invested four years of their lives and resources, and many of them have extra jobs – we just want to do everything we can do to keep them in Alabama.”

“A lot of our peers don’t know all that the State of Alabama has to offer after our college years,” said Aubrey Whiddon, a senior at Jacksonville State University. “They know what’s in Georgia, Tennessee and other states, but when it comes to Alabama, they just don’t know. I think the SRC project will really help the state tell its story and make its case to students.”

Recognizing Gen-Z’s inclination towards genuine relationships and relatability, the SRC, made up of diverse students appointed by university presidents, works to bridge the divide between community leaders and young professionals. The Higher Education Partnership will expand the roles on the SRC to include leadership positions to grow the capacity for work with community partners and strategically reach more students on Alabama’s college campuses.

SRC members will collaborate with their peers from across Alabama to learn and apply innovation and design-thinking concepts to key current and future issues facing the state. Then, they will return to their own campuses to execute their program. They will check in regularly with mentors and advisors who will offer support and encouragement. With the Innovate Alabama grant, more students will be chosen from each of the state’s 14 public universities to serve on the Council. The SRC works together for the duration of the school year and engages with key state leaders, allowing for unique opportunities for students to build their network across the state.

“We’re really excited about bringing student voices to the table,” said Alexi Bolton, Director of Policy and Communications for the Higher Education Partnership of Alabama. “When we look at the conversation about retaining students in the state, so often the ones speaking are those of us alumni who are already in the career world. So, it’s really exciting to bring those student voices in to see what they’re looking at, what they’re considering.”

“We want to say thank you to Innovate Alabama. We’re doing great in recruiting for the kinds of jobs we have now, but when we get to the place as a state where we’re innovatively building those jobs of tomorrow, then we will have the greatest economy in the United States,” Stone said. “We’re touching every county in our recruitment of students. We’ve got students who love all of Alabama. If we can just get the jobs here that will fulfill their career ambitions, that heart and energy and passion will take us to a new plateau.”