August 9, 2004
Contact: Nick Farmer, director of marketing communications, 284-5340

Saint Mary’s Names Director for Lilly Endowment “Brain Drain” Initiative

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Dr. Patrick White, vice president and dean of faculty at Saint Mary’s College, has named Professor Michael Sanders as director of the College’s most recent Lilly Endowment grant, a part of the Endowment’s “Initiative to Promote Opportunity through Educational Collaborations.” This five-year, $750,000 grant to Saint Mary’s is one of 37 given to Indiana colleges and universities to develop their own programs to help retain students within the state after graduation. Currently, Indiana loses a large number of its college graduates to other states.

Sanders, who also serves as director of student programs and assistant professor of business administration and economics at Saint Mary’s, assumed this position on June 1. He is charged with helping Saint Mary’s to curb the college-grad exodus from Indiana by identifying and developing meaningful in-state economic opportunities for college students and graduates.

“Pulling the many elements of a major effort like this one together into one coordinated, identifiable, effective effort requires the kind of diligence and diplomacy that Professor Sanders displays,” says White. “In addition, his strong connections both to student interests as well as to the business world make him ideally suited to this position.”

Sanders recently announced a new identity for the Saint Mary’s project: “INC@SMC,” short for “Indiana Careers at Saint Mary’s College.” “Collaboration will be a key component of this initiative’s success,” says Sanders. “Not only will Saint Mary’s collaborate with Indiana businesses and organizations, we will also be partnering to a degree with other schools like Notre Dame, IUSB and Ivy Tech to utilize our collective knowledge, expertise and resources to the greatest degree.”
New initiatives to be developed through INC@SMC include:

1) Post-baccalaureate fellowships that will place Saint Mary’s graduates with Indiana companies, government agencies or non-profit organizations looking to expand.

2) Summer experiential learning grants that will help students and faculty take advantage of economic opportunities in Indiana.

3) Faculty Fellowships that will support the development and implementation of internship programs for students.

4) Networking grants that will help students and faculty discover opportunities within the state, establish relationships that will lead to future opportunities or take advantage of the many opportunities and activities that Indiana offers.

5) The Collaborative Partners Development Program, which will invite potential experiential learning partners to campus to interact with students and faculty.

6) A task force that will enhance opportunities for Saint Mary’s students to engage in internships.

###

Reporter’s Note: For interviews or additional information, contact Patrick White, vice president and dean of faculty, 284-4575, or Michael Sanders, director of INC@SMC, 284-4499.

SMC04-37