Purdue Recruiting Remote Workers For Brand New Community On Campus, With No Obligation To Attend Or Work For The University
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Get paid to live on a college campus, not next to a frat house, but in a brand new home.
CBS 2 Morning Insider Lauren Victory is Working For Chicago, keeping an eye on interesting job opportunities. She takes us inside the deal that's less than three hours away from Chicago.
Universities are in the business of recruiting, and a while a shiny new part of Purdue University's campus was built for the best, those drafted won't need to make any commitment to the Boilermaker community.
"They're not going to be working for the university, or for the local businesses," said Evan Hock.
Instead, recruits for the 400-acre Discovery Park Business District will be remote workers from various companies.
"They're bringing themselves and their job and incremental earning potential to the region," said Hock, co-founder and vice president of product at MakeMyMove, an online marketplace that advertises remote working communities across the United States.
None are quite like Purdue's – connected to a college campus.
"When this is all built out, we anticipate that there's going to be somewhere around the order of 15 to 20 thousand people that live in this community, and that's besides the 50,000 of Purdue University," said David Broecker, Chief Innovation and Collaboration Officer for the Purdue Research Foundation.
The program offers access to Big Ten Sports, theater performances, and school lectures; plus a spiffy business center with co-working space, and several housing options. Did we mention a $5,000 moving stipend?
Shahil Shrestha is very interested in making the leap from Jersey City, New Jersey, to West Lafayette, Indiana.
"They are offering many events, professional development programs," said Shrestha, a non-profit employee who is a candidate for the Discovery Park District program.
He's most attracted to what's been missing during the pandemic: a sense of community.
"I would be part of this sort of larger cohort that they are trying to attract from different parts of the U.S.," Shrestha said.
He hopes to be approved to move later this summer. A pilot with 8 to 10 remote workers begins in a few weeks.
Applications for the pilot program will stay open until June 1, then people will be added to a wait list.
A newly built 2-bedroom apartment runs about $1,500 per month.
The University asks remote workers promise to stay on campus for three years.
