Cooperative Education celebrates 40 years of service to students

The university's Cooperative Education Program, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, enrolled two students in 1955. In 1994, nearly 800 students were enrolled in the program and a total of more than 6,500 had participated.

The co-op program allows students to gain practical experience in their chosen fields, alternating semesters of paid employment with academic work.

"I've worked with cooperative education at Mississippi State since 1969," said Luther Epting, program director, "and I can say that our students are highly regarded by employers. They tell us these students really produce."

To mark the anniversary of the oldest program of its kind in the state, here are a few impressive facts:

• The mean grade-point average of co-op participants is 3.12;
• 92 percent of May 1995 co-op graduates had accepted employment by graduation;
• co-op students currently are employed in 36 states;
• three academic departments now require one year of co-op work experience for graduation;
• Mississippi State's co-op students earned $5.8 million dollars in 1994;
• the university's co-op students averaged $1,718 in monthly earnings in 1994.