Indiana
Private colleges bring students to Indiana. We need state support. | Opinion
Why not use incentives to encourage students to grow roots here and become Hoosiers for life?
Gotham, Marley, Sycamore––3 shipping containers made into rentals
Owner JB Rapp has turned old shipping containers into luxury short-term rentals. Look inside these homes in the 2700 block of N. College Ave.
IndyStar
Indiana and Indiana businesses — from the smallest not-for-profits and startups to the Fortune 500s — need talented college graduates who have the skills needed for today’s world.
Indiana is an attractive destination when it comes to recruiting students to its universities and colleges. But our advantage evaporates when it comes to retaining these graduates; we rank 40th in the country in terms of college graduate retention. Since the Indiana Commission for Higher Education started tracking this metric more than five years ago, this problem of brain drain among the best and brightest is not merely persistent, it is getting worse.
Somewhat surprisingly, this is not a new phenomenon. A landmark (and eye-opening) 1999 study conducted by the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute found that Indiana retained its graduates at a rate almost 30% below the national average. Almost 25 years later, the National Bureau of Economic Research estimated Indiana was a net exporter of college graduates, the 11th worst state in the nation.
This trend is particularly troubling because business investment in Indiana is growing at a record pace, at least partly because of our business-friendly environment. According to the Indiana Economic Development Corp., 2024 marked the eighth consecutive record-breaking year bringing in more than $39 billion of capital investments. The question is whether Indiana can support the talent needs required to buttress and grow these investments in industries that increasingly require college level skills.
To its credit, Indiana retains 67% of Hoosier graduates who earn a bachelor’s degree at an Indiana college or university. However, that number is only 15% for non-residents, according to Indiana’s latest State of Higher Education report.
If you are looking for a silver lining, private institutions like the University of Indianapolis are far more successful in retaining their graduates. More than 90% of our college graduates last year had a positive career outcome — either by finding a relevant job in their field or going onto graduate school. And more than 91% of our undergraduates who chose the employment route remained in Indiana.
But it’s not just UIndy. Private institutions across Indiana retained 71% of their bachelor graduates after one year, and almost 70% five years after graduation, according to data from the Independent Colleges of Indiana. Compare that to Indiana’s public postsecondary institutions which retained 61% of baccalaureate graduates after one year from 2007 to 2018.
Much has changed since 2018 and there are some clear signs of progress, but the challenge remains. We are a net importer of students but a net exporter of those successfully completing their education. Private institutions, including UIndy, also attracted 44% of their freshmen from outside Indiana — which means they are net importers of out-of-state students. That statistic alone should make us think about how we might change the flow from a brain drain to a brain gain.
So what can be done to support private colleges that are bringing talented students to our state? I urge our state lawmakers to recognize the importance of all 29 independent colleges of Indiana: Include them in the conversation around talent development and support them with financial assistance and legislative decisions.
This is not an emotional argument. It is supported by the math. Consider this return on investment data: For every dollar that the state provides to ICI institutions, the state of Indiana gets $70 worth of economic impact. In addition, ICI institutions contribute $1.6 billion in salaries, wages and benefits for their employees.
Their graduates represent 29% of all Hoosier baccalaureate degrees and 36% of all STEM and nursing degrees — no small feat considering the well-earned respect Indiana’s public universities and colleges have in these fields. But while 31% of ICI students are eligible for a Pell grant based on financial need, just 21% of ICI students receive a state grant. Furthermore, the average cost to Indiana taxpayers for each public college bachelor’s degree is more than 10 times higher than an ICI bachelor’s degree ($56,524 vs. $5,436).
Would it not be a worthwhile investment to entrust additional appropriations with those who are bringing young minds to Indiana and keeping them here? Independent colleges and universities bring talent to Indiana, help them develop the skills needed by Hoosier employers and work intentionally to provide them experiential learning opportunities, many of them with our local employers, during their educational training.
There is ample evidence that if students are exposed to experiential learning opportunities such as internships, work-based learning and project-based learning with employers while in college, they are much more likely to stay engaged with the same employers beyond graduation.
We know that incentives like the Hoosier Business Investment Tax Credit or the Headquarters Relocation Tax Credit are attractive tools to encourage investment in Indiana. Why not use similar incentives to encourage people and students to grow roots here and become Hoosiers for life?
For example, Maine offers an Educational Opportunity Tax Credit for students and employers making educational loan payments at both in-state and out-of-state institutions. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. promotes its talent pipeline with the Michigander Scholars Program to meet the needs of the tech workforce with scholarships of up to $10,000 to students who commit to stay in-state for 12 months.
More investment is needed at the private institutions that are educating and training the future Hoosier workforce. Just like the long-lasting benefit brought by a tax incentive for a physical building, it only makes sense to support this with dollars and cents. It’s imperative for us to work together, public and private, to solve our ongoing brain drain problem to create a stronger Indiana for us all.
Tanuja Singh is the 10th President of the University of Indianapolis.
(The REPORTER) — The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 10, regarding a proposed corridor improvement project on State Road 32 in Hamilton County.
The hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to interact with the project team, review the features of the proposed roundabout project, and provide official public comment. Project documents are available for review at improvetomove32.com.
The project area is between East Street in Westfield and River Road in Noblesville. The proposed project includes adding lanes to accommodate two lanes in each direction, removing all traffic signals within the project limits, and constructing roundabouts at the following intersections with SR 32:
- Carey Road/Grassy Branch Road
- Gunther Boulevard
- Shady Nook Road
- Moontown Road/Gray Road
- Pebble Brook Boulevard
- Hazel Dell Road/Little Chicago Road
- Mill Creek Road
The hearing will take place at Prairie Waters Event Center, 4180 Westfield Road, Westfield. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view displays and talk with the project team. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m., with a public comment session held directly after. INDOT is offering livestreams of all public meetings and hearings. You must register here in order to participate in the livestream. Livestream audience comments will only be accepted in written electronic form, not verbally. A recording of the livestream presentation will be posted on the project webpage and INDOT YouTube page after the hearing and will be available for at least 90 days.
All verbal statements recorded during the public hearing and all written comments submitted prior to, during and for a period of two weeks following the hearing date, will be evaluated, considered, and addressed in subsequent environmental documentation.
Written comments may be submitted within the comment period to Nick Batta, CMT, 8790 Purdue Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or sent via email to SR32HamiltonCounty@cmtengr.com.
INDOT respectfully requests comments be submitted by June 26.
A beloved tradition is drawing stitchers, shoppers, and curious newcomers across the region.
If you have ever walked into a quilt shop “just to look,” you already know how that story ends. One minute you are admiring a cheerful stack of fabric with names like sunflower, buttercream, and cardinal red, and the next you are seriously considering whether your house has room for a new table runner, a holiday wall hanging, and perhaps a life-changing bundle of fat quarters. Quilt shops have that effect. They are part treasure hunt, part therapy session, part color explosion, and in Southeastern Indiana, they are also some of the friendliest gathering places around.
That is especially true during the ALL INDIANA SHOP HOP, the statewide sewing and quilting event running through June 30, 2026.
The idea is delightfully simple: visit participating quilt shops, collect passport stamps, pick up thank-you gifts, and become eligible for prizes. The official event even describes it as a quilting version of a bar crawl, only with less late-night regret and more batting, bobbins, and beautiful fabric. There is even a youth passport for ages 8 to 17, which is a nice reminder that quilting is not just a pastime handed down from grandparents. It is also being discovered by a new generation who like making things by hand, repurposing fabric to help the environment, learning skills online, and sharing their creations proudly.
And really, quilting has everything going for it. It is practical, creative, social, and just a little bit magical.
A quilt can be a baby gift, a comfort during a hard season, a graduation present, a family heirloom, or simply a way to make a couch look much more put together than the people sitting on it. Quilters are surgeons with rotary cutters, artists with thread, and storytellers with fabric. They notice pattern, texture, memory, and meaning. Even non-quilters tend to fall under the spell. You do not need to know how to piece a block to appreciate the patience, skill, and imagination it takes to turn small shapes into something that warms both the room and the people in it.
That is one reason local quilt shops matter so much.
Yes, they sell fabric, books, notions, patterns, batting, and tools that can make a beginner feel both excited and slightly underqualified. But they also do something online shopping cannot: they welcome people in. Good quilt shops are places where somebody will help you match prints, explain what on earth a layer cake is, admire your progress, and gently steer you away from a fabric choice you may regret in broad daylight. They are equal parts classroom, clubhouse, and creative headquarters.
Southeastern Indiana is lucky to have several shops that make a Shop Hop route feel less like an errand list and more like a mini road trip with excellent scenery and even better conversation.
In Versailles, The Quilter’s Nook has become a creative quilting and sewing destination with classes, learning opportunities, and plenty of supplies and inspiration for anyone wanting to sharpen their skills or finally start that project they have been thinking about for two years. In Greensburg, Tree City Stitches is known for its premium fabrics, project kits, classes, and welcoming atmosphere, with plenty of samples on display to spark ideas before you even make it to the cutting counter.
In Vevay, Cardinal Quilts offers a deep fabric selection, quilting classes, and longarm services, making it the kind of place where serious quilters can stock up and newcomers can get helpful guidance without a trace of intimidation. And in Madison, L&L Yard Goods has been operating in the same location since 1986, offering quilting essentials, classes, and the sort of steady hometown presence that makes people come back year after year.
Together, these shops help keep quilting visible, vibrant, and local.
They also provide handmade quilts for community projects, children’s hospitals, veterans, and emergency services just like the early quilters did centuries ago.
So if your summer plans could use a little more color, a little more small-town charm,
and maybe a little more excuse to buy fabric you absolutely do not need but definitely deserve, the Shop Hop is calling. Bring a friend, bring your passport, and bring a willingness to be delighted by places where craftsmanship still matters and people still make beautiful things with their hands.
In Southeastern Indiana, quilting is more than a hobby.
It is history from the days of early pioneers, hospitality that warms you, creativity and community all stitched together one square at a time.
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