AUDIO: Nixon plans investment to beat brain drain

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has a plan for beating the brain drain in the Show-Me State.

His office has revealed the Bright Flight Boost, offering scholarship students another $5,000 if they agree to work in Missouri after graduating. To boost the current Bright Flight scholarship program, Nixon has set aside $15 million in his balanced budget proposal for fiscal 2015.

If the graduate pursues employment outside of Missouri before his or her commitment is fulfilled, they would have to pay the remaining award back to the state, KSMU reports.

“College affordability has been among my administration’s top priorities, and by strengthening this successful scholarship program, we’ll keep more of our best and brightest here at home so they can contribute their talent to our 21st-century economy,” Nixon said in a news release. “For the state, Bright Flight Boost is a smart investment with a big return in the form of a well-educated, highly qualified workforce. For students, it’s a significant incentive to not only go to college, but also to graduate and then stay to pursue rewarding careers and follow their dreams in the Show-Me State.”

Students eligible for the Bright Flight Boost must score in the top 3 percent of Missouri students on the ACT or SAT tests.
 
Read more from KSMU.[[In-content Ad]]