The survey of 73 students indicates that working at Rose-Hulman Ventures has had the following positive benefits for students:

Ninety-one percent of the current students and 89 percent of the alumni expressed satisfaction with their RHV work experience.

Jim Eifert, president of Rose-Hulman Ventures, said: "The results of our student assessment demonstrate that the opportunity to work at RHV has provided exactly the kinds of educational opportunities we want for our students. It is also noteworthy that we have involved students from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Indiana State, DePauw, Indiana, and Purdue universities, as well as Rose-Hulman students."

The study was conducted to assess the experiences of students who are or have worked on project teams at RHV from spring 2000 through spring 2002, according to Gloria Rogers, vice president of institutional research, planning, and assessment. Students and alumni who had worked at RHV as undergraduates were surveyed to determine their perception of their experiences related to work on project teams, the influence of RHV work experience on their job interviews and employment, and general satisfaction with their work at RHV.

Coursework. All of the alumni respondents and 90 percent of the current students reported that they were able to apply what they learned in their on-campus coursework to their RHV work assignment.

Teamwork. Alumni reported that they have had significant experience working on teams since graduating from Rose-Hulman and many reported that their experience was similar to the one they had while working at RHV.

Recruiters’ Interest. Of the current students who have already interviewed for work, all but one had discussed their RHV project work experience with a recruiter(s), while 83 percent of the alumni reported discussing RHV with recruiters. Of those who discussed RHV, over 85 percent of them indicated those recruiters were interested in their RHV experience. Over 90 percent of respondents reported that they were able to demonstrate their engineering/science-related skills by referencing their RHV work. Eighty percent of the current students and 93 percent of alumni indicated that their RHV experience had a positive effect on the interview outcome.

Career Decisions. While students were not asked to comment specifically on the issues of staying in Indiana or working for start-up companies in particular, some of the student workers offered related comments:

• "Ventures allowed me to determine my likes and dislikes of my work. I now have a better feel for what type of job I would like to have in the future."

• "Working at Ventures has made me realize that working for a small company is a viable alternative to a large corporation (especially in today’s economy)."

• "My position at Ventures has really given me something with which I can finally compare other companies against. This has allowed me to evolve different, more substantial questions that I plan to use during interviews, job fairs and other such events."

• "I had never thought of using my chemical engineering knowledge in the software industry. I will definitely keep this option in mind when I graduate."

"The responses infer that the experience of working at RHV has encouraged students to stay in Indiana after graduation," Eifert said. "The students are seriously considering possible career paths with smaller, early stage companies: the very companies that lead to the creation of a strong base of ‘world headquarters’ companies in Indiana and the professional employment opportunities that accrue to the location of such headquarters."

"Rose-Hulman Ventures is helping to reduce the brain drain of new engineering graduates who have been leaving the state to begin their careers. Providing more opportunities for new graduates to work in the state has been identified by the Lilly Endowment and Indiana government officials as a critical factor to improving the state's economy," he added.