Communication Associate: Public Relations | Lori Melton | lmelton@d.umn.edu | (218) 726-8830
November 28, 2012 Cheryl Reitan | Associate Director of External Affairs | 218 726-8996 | creitan@d.umn.edu
Andrea Schokker | Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs | 218 726-7103 | aschokke@d.umn.edu
Duluth Debuts as Top College Destination
Destinations Ranked According to Academic Environment, Quality of Life, and Professional Opportunities
DULUTH, MN — The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) has ranked Duluth, MN as the 14th top location in the "Small Metro" category in the U.S. in its 2012 AIER College Destinations Index. This is the first year Duluth has been included in the top ranks.
The AIER index includes the top 75 towns and cities in the United States for college students, based on a larger evaluation of the 227 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas with student populations of 15,000 or more. Of the top 75 places receiving high ranking, only one other Minnesota location, Minneapolis-St. Paul in the "Major Metro" category, made the list.
"Students come to Duluth and fall in love with the area," said Andrea Schokker, UMD Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. "We have a great job placement rate and many students who want to stay in Duluth are able to do so. For a town of our size we have incredible cultural events and cutting edge businesses. Students embrace the many outdoor activities and enjoy being in a town and campus that makes sustainability a priority. Our hilltop campus has a breath-taking view of Lake Superior, but it's not just a view -- research into water and lakes is a focal point for many of our students, faculty and staff."
In creating the Index, a dozen factors were evaluated using the most current data available from the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, National Science Foundation, and Small Business Administration to provide a snapshot of each community's overall academic and cultural environment, quality of life and employment opportunities in the area:
Academic Environment:
Student Concentration: number of college students per 1,000 population
Student Diversity: percentage of student body that are non-U.S. residents
Degree Attainment: percent of the 25-to-34-year-old population with bachelor's degree or higher
Quality of Life:
Cost of Living: based upon average rent for a two-bedroom apartment
Arts and Leisure: number of cultural and entertainment venues per 100,000 population
City Accessibility: percentage of workers over age 16 who commute on foot or by public transportation or bicycle
Creative Class: percentage of workforce in the arts, education, knowledge industries, science, engineering, management, other fields
Professional Opportunities:
Earning Potential: income per capita
Entrepreneurial Activity: net annual increase in total number of business establishments per 100,000 population
Unemployment Rate: percent of labor force without jobs but actively seeking jobs within the last four weeks
Brain Gain/Drain: year-over-year ratio of population with B.A. degrees
living in the area
The complete AIER College Destinations Index analysis is available on AIER's website, www.aier.org/cdi.
Founded in 1933, the nonprofit American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) conducts independent, scientific, economic research to educate individuals, thereby advancing their personal interests and those of the nation.
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