Susan Patterson is Knight Foundation's program director in Columbia.

The Gallup study results for Columbia indicate that residents see education as a community strength and a primary reason for their passion for the place they call home. That’s hardly a surprise. USC dominates downtown, and Benedict, Allen and Columbia College add more students to the mix.

On the flip side, however, is the perception that the community is not so welcoming for young, college graduates. So, that raises questions for me: What would change that perception? How do community employers connect to the colleges and universities? How should community leadership respond?

I see these higher ed institutions as great resources for the community, but surely Columbia doesn’t want to lose the intellectual capital of grads moving elsewhere. Surely.