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Journalism and mass communication instructor Joe Sampson's COM/JRN 314 students spent this semester compiling a film that explores the issue in depth.
The film will be shown from 7 to 8 p.m. Dec. 8 in the television studio of Williams Hall.
"Statistics show that the lower the education you have, the more likely you are to stay in Ohio," Sampson said. "For a state that has about 600,000 college students, there hasn't been much return. I asked my students to find out solutions as to how Ohio can redefine its economic future and why so many people with higher education are leaving Ohio to find work."
Since August, the 12 students in the course have interviewed various professors, friends and family to get an idea of how the image of Ohio has changed. Some students traveled to Columbus to interview Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut and members from the Ohio Department of Tourism.
"Having the opportunity to talk with the chancellor was very beneficial to our project," said senior Drew Bollea, a mass communication major. "Since he's basically the boss of President Hodge, he was very knowledgeable on the issue."
Additionally, all the students produced their own segments called "My Stories," in which students interviewed a variety of people from their hometowns.
Senior Jordan Furbee, a mass communication major, interviewed several people from his hometown of Columbus, for his "My Story" segment.
"I found out through my interviews that most people think of Ohio as a great place to raise a family," Furbee said. "Even though Columbus isn't a dying city like some of the other ones in Ohio, I think a lot of college-aged students want the opportunity to explore a new place because they've lived in Ohio their entire lives."
The film also contains interviews from Miami University representatives such as President David Hodge and admission officers, but Sampson said the film is "an Ohio story, not a Miami story."
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Sampson said the goal of this project was for his students to find solutions to the problem, rather than simply focusing on why college graduates seem to be leaving Ohio upon graduation.
"We began this class with an idea of how the project was going to turn out, but after talking to so many sources, the story has really developed on its own," Furbee said.
Throughout the semester, students met a series of deadlines for the different stories within the film, while producing the film along the way.
"Especially when it comes to production and interviews, I've learned how much work actually goes into it," said Brittany Larkin, journalism major. "This class has provided real-life experiences that I know will help me in my future career."
Sampson said through this process, his main goal was for his students to learn how to tell a good story and what goes into creating a story.
"I think my students would agree that the story they're telling is relevant and timely," Sampson said. "It's been a methodical process, and I'm proud of them for how they've explored this comprehensive question."
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