The timing made one think that, somehow, Cliff Lee may have got an early peek at the Campus Philly study released on Tuesday, From Student to Resident: Findings from Campus Philly's 2010 Student Retention Survey. The results seemed to reaffirm Lee's decision to eschew extra riches to play in a place he loves and where he has a shot to succeed. Overwhelmingly, college students in Philadelphia feel the same way as the newest (and fan favorite) Phillies pitcher.

At a forum held at Drexel University, Campus Philly, a nonprofit that aims to fuel economic growth by working with campuses and students throughout Greater Philadelphia, announced its survey of 4,600 undergrads and recent alum from 31 colleges in the region. It found that 48 percent of non-native Philadelphians who attend college in the region stayed here after graduation. That marks an increase from 29 percent from a 2004 report issued by the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia. Nearly 60 percent of current students say they're likely to stay in the region after graduation, which nearly doubled a similar study's results by Collegetown Baltimore, which found only 31 percent of its college student population was likely to stay.

What's more, nearly 80 percent of native Philadelphians who attend the area's colleges stay in the region, a slight decline from the 2004 Philly-area study, but that's likely more indicative of an increase in native Philadelphians attending institutions of higher education within the region.

"It was our sense that was going on, but it's good to see it verified by a report," says Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who stopped by to speak as part of a panel that included Drexel Sr. VP of Enrollment Joan McDonald, Deloitte Managing Partner Tara Weiner, Philadelphia Orchestra VP for Government and Community Relations Craig Hamilton, and Venmo product evangelist Jameel Farruk.

Clearly, student engagement in a variety of activities and internships that can often lead to first jobs played a large role in the student retention increase. Ninety percent of current students are involved in three or more activities that take them off campus at least twice a semester (volunteering and community services were the most popular activities).

Hamilton's citing of the Orchestra's eZseatU, an online membership program that allows college students to pay a one-time $25 membership fee and get access to its concerts at no additional cost per ticket, is a prime example of efforts directed squarely at engaging college students paying off: eZseatU has grown by nearly a third since its first year and is expected to grow another 25 percent by the end of the next season.

Farruk cited the region's quality of life, accessible cost of living, and burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem and tech community as the big reasons his growing mobile payments firm decided to set up shop in Philly.

McDonald talked about how stepped-up recruitment, including international efforts, have helped set students on a path to fulfilling their post-grad dreams within the region. Internships have meant a lot to Weiner and Deloitte, she says, and those opportunities mean a lot--91 percent of students polled in the Campus Philly survey identified job opportunity as an important factor in determining where they go after graduation.

JOE PETRUCCI is managing editor of Flying Kite. Send feedback here.