FIRST LADY WALL SPITZER ANNOUNCES BRAIN DRAIN INITIATIVE

Gov. Eliot Spitzer, D-N.Y., has issued the following news release:

New York's First Lady, Silda Wall Spitzer, today announced plans for a summit meeting to examine the causes for the exodus of talented young people from the state. The Brain Drain initiative will focus on addressing some of the challenges facing young Upstate New Yorkers.

The flight of the "next generation" has been widely recognized as a pervasive trend, especially in the Upstate region. The summit will convene some of the best minds in the nation to confront the problem. Specifically, the summit will bring together business and community leaders, university representatives, elected officials, leaders of young professional groups, students, and the general public to discuss the state's affordability crisis and how it is disproportionately affecting young New Yorkers. The summit will be a forum for discussing challenges and hopefully a laboratory for developing innovative solutions and practical policy initiatives that New York State might undertake to address the brain drain.

"The 'I Live New York' Summit is aimed at taking a hard look at one of the most serious economic problems facing the state," said First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer. "By bringing together key stakeholders, I hope to initiate a comprehensive and coordinated examination of the factors driving young people out of New York and explore the public and private initiatives that may help reverse this troubling trend."

According to Census data analyzed by Warren Brown at Cornell and Robert Scardamalia at the Department of Economic Development, the population of the 52 Upstate counties decreased by 22 % among 20-34 year-olds and by 29% among 25-29 year-olds from 1990 to 2000.

Brown and Scardamalia report that between 1995 and 2000, the Upstate region had a net loss of 110,000 college graduates to other states. Findings show that the departures are accelerating. Buffalo alone lost more than 22,000 young people in a five-year period ending in 2005.

Earlier this spring the First Lady partnered with the Business Council of New York State to survey more than 1,000 graduating seniors in the SUNY system. The survey's initial findings show that almost two-thirds of students who came from the Upstate region list it as their first choice place to live, but that fewer than 4 out of 10 have been able to find jobs, and fewer than 3 out of 10 expect to be living here in 10 years.

The First Lady's broader initiative will complement Governor Spitzer's Upstate economic revitalization program, "Renew New York," which is aimed at revitalizing communities and spawning an innovation economy. It follows significant progress in the areas Upstate business leaders agreed were critical to Upstate survival, including landmark workers' compensation reform and reductions in business and property taxes.

The First Lady's initiative will specifically target New Yorkers aged 18-40 and look to address the issues affecting young New Yorkers professionally, socially and economically. The initiative will place special emphasis on the critical years after students graduate from college.

"The 'I Live New York' Summit is an idea whose time has come," said Upstate Economic Development Corporation Chairman Dan Gundersen. "I believe it will help unleash creative energies that will produce innovative initiatives and greatly assist our efforts to restore Upstate New York."

Kenneth Adams, President and CEO of The Business Council of New York State said, "The problem our young people are facing isn't the weather, and it isn't the nightlife," Adams said. "They absolutely want to live in Upstate New York, but they need good jobs, affordable housing and livable communities and they are not finding them. I thank the First Lady for agreeing to spearhead this important initiative, which I believe is a necessary component of the Governor's larger economic revitalization plan."

On September 18, 2007, the First Lady will host the 'I Live New York' summit at SUNY Cortland, to address the following questions:

* How do we expand job opportunities, incentives for small businesses creation and entrepreneurial growth among our younger generation?

* How do we better connect college students with Upstate employers?

* How can young people participate in and benefit from the revitalization of Upstate's urban and cultural centers?

* How can we make housing more affordable and sustainable for young families?

* How will connecting young people through volunteering and civic engagement strengthen communities?

Following the summit, the First Lady will issue a report of the Summit's recommendations that will help guide the Brain Drain initiative's future work.

Traveling the state on the campaign trail and as First Lady, Ms. Spitzer has found the exodus of our young people to be a common and troubling theme. She was inspired to focus on this issue as First Lady after a young professionals group, GenNext, based in Albany reached out to the administration through the transition website following the Governor's election in November. They wrote about the exodus of Upstate young people and their efforts to combat the trend. Their post to the transition website triggered the First Lady to meet with them and then speak at their annual conference in February.