With the state facing a “brain drain,” the Iowa Department of Economic Development has launched a new advertising campaign focusing on bringing young professionals back to the state.

A survey by the ISU Office of Career Planning and Placement Services found that of a sample of 4,200 students who graduated during the 2002-03 school year, only 1,619 are employed in Iowa.

Only 21.2 percent of Iowa residents have at least a four-year college degree, compared to the national average of 24.4 percent, according to the 2000 Census.

Chris Hansen, senior in materials engineering, said he plans to leave the state for graduate school.

“I’d like to come back eventually, but I don’t want to stay in the same place for my undergrad and grad school,” he said.

But rather than targeting the thousands of students at Iowa State expected to leave the state to find work elsewhere, the state is focusing much of its efforts on convincing recent graduates who left Iowa to come back.

The recently unveiled TV advertising campaign features Gov. Tom Vilsack speaking about the state’s advantages for young people. In the ads, Vilsack references Iowa’s high ACT scores and “balanced quality of life” as reasons for families to move.

Iowa Department of Economic Development board member Jerry Courtney said the new campaign will bring much-needed attention to Iowa, hopefully attracting businesses and the high-paying jobs that attract young professionals.

“Nationally, some people aren’t even cognizant that we exist,” he said. “In today’s environment, with every state pushing to bring business and people in, if you sit quietly, I don’t think you’re going to be noticed at all.”

The department grants money to local communities to help them promote local tourism and provides financial incentives for businesses to relocate to Iowa. Because of its efforts, New Zealand-based Xenacom moved to the ISU Research Park in January.

Although Courtney is hopeful about Iowa’s new entertainment attractions, like the Jordan Creek Town Center and minor league hockey coming to Des Moines, he said he is realistic about Iowa’s chances to keep college students in the state after they graduate.

“Can we ever compete with New York or Los Angeles? Of course not,” he said. “But we can do better.”

Hansen said he agreed.

“It’s not as though our new cultural facilities will cause people even in Chicago or Minneapolis to look at Iowa and say, ‘Oh, there’s a happening place,'” he said.

With the new “Iowa: Life Changing” ad campaign, Courtney said the Department of Economic Development was not targeting college-age people, but is focusing on promoting the state to young professionals as a good place to raise children.

“I think that kids will want to run to the big city initially, but we can entice those kids to come back when they want to raise a family,” Courtney said.

Although skeptical about some of the efforts to attract students back to the state, Hansen said he believes it will be successful in its drive to attract and retain people in Iowa.

“I’ve had some excellent experiences in Iowa … I think the state will draw people back,” he said.

Lisa Ungerer graduated from Iowa State in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and now attends nursing school at Creighton. Ungerer said she plans to move back to Iowa after graduation. She said safety and entertainment were key factors in her decision.

She said although the new ad campaign might not appeal to recent graduates, it could reach its target market.

“Most people in our age group want a ‘Friends’ lifestyle,” Ungerer said. “They’re not married yet and want to live it up with their single friends before they get married.”