Just like the 1960-70 era peacenik's phrase, what if companies went to colleges to recruit but no one was there to interview?

"The rising cost of college — even before the recession — threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education."

In today's NYT, this article discusses the significant issues facing higher educati....

"Over all, the report found, published college tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007, adjusted for inflation, while median family income rose 147 percent. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade, and students from lower-income families, on average, get smaller grants from the colleges they attend than students from more affluent families."

The obvious solution is to build relationships earlier than college; just like universities begin to recruit athletes as early as 7th and 8th grade, perhaps companies will do the same. Intel and Westinghouse have science contests for high schooler; what keeps an Ogilvy and Mathers from holding creative contests for this education group?

If you're not taking the financial factors into account when developing your workforce plan (if you have one), then perhaps it's time.