For certain Duke graduates, four years in Durham is not enough.
Although young alumni disperse across the country after graduation, some keep a closer connection to the University by becoming full-time employees.
Both graduates and the people who hire them said a Duke background can be an asset in a University job.
Margaret Di Giulio, Trinity '06, is one of five alumni working as an admissions officer for the Office of Admissions.
She said her familiarity with Duke puts her at an advantage when she describes the University to applicants and made her transition into the job easier.
"It really helps to have gone to Duke because [other admissions officers] don't have to tell me what Duke has to offer," she said.
Some University organizations like Duke Management Company-the independent company that handles the investment of $7.5 billion in University assets-find potential employees through the Duke Career Center.
DUMAC Analyst Claire Fefer, Trinity '03, has been recruiting other analysts for two years and said a Duke background can be beneficial both to her company and to the employees.
"We view Duke students as highly intelligent and driven, and to the extent that they have a desire to contribute to the University, their alma mater, that's certainly an advantage," she said.
She added, however, that DUMAC recruits analysts from several regional schools including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia, Wake Forest University and Davidson College.
"We're not targeting a ratio [of Duke hires]," she said. "Historically, on average, it's been about 50-50."
Other graduates may find employment through connections they made as undergraduates.
Students who have worked with researchers for work study or summer internships are frequently offered jobs by their employers, said Ken Lineberger, recruitment manager for the Duke University Medical Center.
"The advantage is that their work performance is known to the hiring manager," he said.
Dean of the Graduate School Jo Rae Wright said she has hired four Duke graduates as research technicians in her cell biology lab during the past 13 years.
"Some of them have done undergraduate research in the lab, but not all of them," she wrote in an e-mail.
Wright added that many of the students choosing to remain at Duke are only in Durham temporarily.
"These tend to be interim jobs before graduate, medical school or veterinary school," she said. "They generally stay for two years, sometimes more."
Leonard Satterwhite, senior associate director for the admissions office, said, however, there is no distinct pattern for how long young alums choose to work at the University.
"I've had admissions officers stay for two years, and I've had admissions officers stay for five years," said Satterwhite, who recently hired three members of the Class of 2006. "There's a wide range of what folks do."
Di Giulio said she plans to work in the Office of Admissions for two years before pursuing a Ph.D. in art history.
"While I originally planned to move to New York, it become more and more apparent that I needed to save money," she said.
Similarly, Fefer said DUMAC's analyst program is designed as an interim three-year program between undergraduate and business school, but is a good preparation for future career paths.
"The analyst position is a really fantastic opportunity to have exposure to a huge breadth of opportunities," she said.
Di Giulio said her decision to stay at Duke has eased the transition from college to the workplace.
She added, however, that there is overlap between her experiences as Duke student and employee.
"I run into people that are seniors a lot, and they're like, 'Oh, I thought you graduated,'" she said. "I'm not a student anymore, and I still kind of feel like I am."
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