Authorizing the Committee on Education to hold hearings regarding Campus Philly and their efforts towards fueling the economic growth in Philadelphia and their efforts towards increasing the retention rates of college students.

WHEREAS, Since 2004, Campus Philly has been fueling the local economy of Philadelphia by engaging college students with firsthand experiences of the City, and providing an easy way for these students to apply for local internships and jobs; and

WHEREAS, Campus Philly is partnered with over 30 corporations, over 30 local universities, and other local entities to provide jobs and internships to the college students and recent graduates in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, Campus Philly partners with the regional colleges and universities to welcome and engage college students and to encourage them to stay in Philadelphia after they graduate; and

WHEREAS, These partnerships with institutes of higher education highlight the fact, in their opinion, that they are the anchors of our City, and with ability to embolden companies to move the Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, This would create a cycle that brings in more students, leading to more businesses, which increases retention rates, which will increase our economic growth; and

WHEREAS, Campus Philly encourages college students to pursue internships and part time opportunities with companies via the job postings on their website; and

WHERAS, On Campus Philly’s website they list numerous paid jobs and internships, ranging from part-time to full-time positions in the City, with over 2500 student accounts on the website; and

WHEREAS, It isn’t just the business opportunities that keep students in Philadelphia, but the more students and talent we can keep in Philadelphia, the higher chance of businesses either moving to or starting up in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, Through the continued hard work of Deborah Diamond, Philly Campus and many others, job growth in the City of Philadelphia has begun to outpace New York City for the first time in over 20 years; and

WHEREAS, Campus Philly holds career related events year-round encouraging students to learn about the City of Philadelphia, and the opportunities we have in the City; and

WHEREAS, Events such as College fest, Leadership Connection, My Philly Summer, Create-adelphia, partner with the same corporations, universities and local entities to bring students together with each other students and professionals, to develop their professional skills, with the aim of keeping those students in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, From Campus Philly’s Ready To Launch survey, students who want to stay in the Philadelphia region has increased by 15% since the last report in 2010. The efforts of Campus Philly, and many others are one of the main reasons this number will continue to climb; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby authorizes the Committee on Education to hold hearings in reference to Campus Philly’s impact on the local economy, and their efforts to retain college students in Philadelphia.

End