Two groups hoping to stem what they see as a Badger state "brain drain" are encouraged by the results of a recent survey showing nearly 60 percent of UW-Madison graduates now living in five out-of-state metropolitan areas would consider moving back to Wisconsin.

The survey is part of a broader effort by the Wisconsin Alumni Association and Competitive Wisconsin Inc., a private group that promotes economic development, to increase incomes and match UW-Madison graduates with employers.

Competitive Wisconsin Executive Director Bill McCoshen said most states "chase smokestacks," referring to the competition to recruit specific industries or businesses.

"This is a lot more strategic approach where we're going after brain power," he said.

The survey was e-mailed to 22,286 UW-Madison alumni in Chicago, the Twin Cities, the Washington, D.C., area, San Francisco and New York — the five top out-of-state destinations for the school's graduates, McCoshen said. Just under 12 percent, or 2,618 people, returned it.

The results closely resemble a similar 2006 survey, said Paula Bonner, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Alumni Association. The feedback will assist in planning pilot Badger Expos scheduled for Minneapolis in October and Chicago in the spring to help Wisconsin employers connect with UW-Madison alumni.

Both the survey and the expos are designed to reach mid- to high-level employees and specialists such as scientists and researchers, Bonner said. Nearly 23 percent of the survey respondents reported annual household incomes of $200,000 or more.

"This is for people who have five, eight, 10 years of experience or unique skills," she said, adding that people born in the state who attended UW-Madison are the most likely to "boomerang" back to Wisconsin if they find the right career opportunity.

"We know from experience that graduates who formerly lived in the state have a base knowledge of what it means to live in Wisconsin and are more likely to accept positions here than those who have no knowledge of cities like Madison."

Robert Hurda — a 2000 graduate of UW-Madison who now lives in Minneapolis but did not take the survey — said fellow UW-Madison grads he's spoken with laud the education but don't think much about moving back.

A Mequon native, Hurda started working for Target Corp. after graduating with a degree in marketing but said if he had been more sought after by Wisconsin companies when he came out of college, he might have stayed.

His perception of the state's economy is that it remains focused on manufacturing.

"When I think of Wisconsin, I think of Miller Beer, Briggs & Stratton," he said. "It seems like there isn't a whole lot of diversity of jobs."

Luke Behnke, a Minneapolis native and 2004 UW-Madison graduate, took the survey but says he plans to stay in the San Francisco area after moving there for a mechanical engineering job with defense contractor L-3 Communications.

As far as moving back, "Right now I'd say it's unlikely," Behnke said. "I loved the experience of growing up in the Midwest, and obviously the cost of living is much more attractive. But as a young person, I wanted to see another part of the country," and the Bay Area held more career opportunities, he said.

Nevertheless, Bill Chapman, director of investor relations for W.W. Grainger Inc., in Lake Forest, Ill., and a West Bend native who received a degree in accounting from UW-Madison in 1982, said the idea of moving back to Wisconsin could be "very appealing" for many alumni.

"It depends on the viability of the positions. I think the lifestyle aspect" is a plus, said Chapman, who did not take the survey but is active in the alumni association's Chicago chapter. "There are so many wonderful things that Madison offers, especially related to the university."

— State Journal reporter Gayle Worland contributed to this report.

AT A GLANCE

Among the results of a survey of UW-Madison graduates now living in five out-of-state metropolitan areas:

• 58 percent would consider moving back to Wisconsin. Having family or friends in Wisconsin and a better quality of life were the two main reasons they might move back.

• For those who have not considered a move back, the top reason was being satisfied with where they are (52 percent), while 37 percent cited a lack of career opportunities here.

• Respondents who were Wisconsin residents before going to UW-Madison were more likely to consider coming back than those who were not — or 69 percent to 48 percent.

• Having a spouse, children or both corresponded with a slightly greater willingness to move back to Wisconsin.