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Illinois Ag Universities unite to keep college students in state

Illinois agriculture universities have joined together to encourage Illinois students to stay in the state for college as recruitment from out-of-state schools increases.

Kim Kidwell, Dean of the College of Agriculture at the University of Illinois, says they have partnered with Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Western Illinois Universities in a joint recruitment effort.

“For me, it was kind of an awareness of how much damage we were doing to each other by not being supportive of each other’s programs.”

Kidwell tells Brownfield their brochure, “Keeping Our Best in Illinois”, lists the benefits of all four universities and has been sent to more than 30,000 potential students by the University of Illinois alone.

“What’s so hard for me about this space of picking colleges is the word ‘competitors’. We say that because we are, but the essence and spirit of what we are all trying to do is create a valued opportunity for students to get in the right place to learn great things that allow them to find a worthwhile career.”

Illinois has the second highest number of students attending out-of-state schools. The Illinois Board of Higher Education says close to 50% of Illinois freshmen enrolled in out-of-state colleges in 2016.

The USDA predicts there will be more than 55,000 agriculture job openings in the U.S. each year through 2020, with only 35,000 graduates available to fill those spots each year.

The brochure includes a quote from Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert: “Illinois farm Bureau and many Illinois ag business that I talk to prefer to recruit graduates of universities within Illinois.” It also outlines key opportunities and resources that are unique to the state including being a top state in ag exports, the home of some of the top machinery companies in the world and more than 1500 food manufacturing companies.

Top schools recruiting Illinois agriculture students in recent years include: Iowa State, Missouri State, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Purdue University, Kansas State, and Murray State in Kentucky.