Experience Required

By Maridith Walker Geuder

Academic qualifications continue to be valued by employers, Epting said, but last year, "for the first time work experience was mentioned by employers more often than grades. We're seeing more employers select their new hires from graduates who have experience," he said.

In more than 20 years with cooperative education, Epting has seen work environments change. Employers who hired co-ops in the 1970s tended to view the program as a way to recruit and retain future employees. "In the 1990s, employers are looking for highly motivated, energetic students who can supplement their work force," he said.

And they're turning out in record numbers to hire Mississippi State students. Last spring, during the semi-annual co-op interview days, Epting and his staff arranged more than 1,000 employer-student contacts during three days. More than 70 percent of the students who interview get offers, Epting said.

While engineering students tend to predominate in the program, cooperative education is available for students in any academic major, Epting explained. "In some areas, the demand exceeds our supply."

"Co-op lets them see principles put to work. They are able to benefit from experience as a complement to the curriculum." -Jeffrey Krans

100 PERCENT JOB PLACEMENT

Two academic programs-professional golf management and turfgrass management-require that students co-op.

Mississippi State's professional golf management program, one of four in the nation, is the only one making job placements through its university's cooperative education program, said PGM program director Roland Jones of the College of Business and Industry. The 4 1/2-year program allows students to earn a degree in marketing, 16 months work experience, and 24 points toward a PGA Class A professional standing.

The cooperative education office provides the coordination to make the work experience happen, Jones said. "They're the professionals at job placement," he said. With more than 600 golf courses around the nation registered with the program, students are assured of co-op experiences, he said.

The program has a 100 percent job placement rate, Jones said. "About 80 percent of our students will work after graduation for someone who has a relationship, direct or indirect, with the cooperative education program," he noted.

Cooperative education "allows you to learn every aspect of the golf business," said PGM student Jon Crane of Rock Valley, Iowa.

Jon Crane, a senior majoring in professional golf management, has co-oped at Long Cove in Hilton Head, S.C., and most recently at Old Waverly in West Point. He will join Old Waverly as an assistant pro following graduation in May.

Crane, who has been a co-op at Long Cove in Hilton Head, S.C., and at Old Waverly in West Point, will become an assistant professional at Old Waverly following his graduation in May. He'll be working with fellow PGM alum Robby Scruggs, who also signed on with Old Waverly following co-op. Both will be on hand when the facility hosts the U.S. Women's Open in 1999.

"I've been very fortunate to work for the top course in South Carolina and the top course in Mississippi," Crane said. "Cooperative education provides a huge advantage in building a resume and experience while I'm in school."

'WE FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THE VALUE OF WORK'

More than 100 students in the golf and sports turf management program also are required to participate in cooperative education, said agronomy professor Jeffrey Krans.

Graduates of the program manage golf courses from an agronomy perspective, he explained. "Golf courses are multi-million dollar enterprises, and owners want their investments protected. The people who hire our students place a high emphasis on work experience," Krans said.

For graduates who will be responsible for the turf on a typical 120-acre course or for another sports facility, work experience has an educational value as well, he said. "Co-op lets them see principles put to work. They are able to benefit from experience as a complement to the curriculum."

The turf management program requires participation in cooperative education because "we feel strongly about the value of work," Krans said. "Students who left our program without work experience couldn't be competitive."

Tony Mancuso, now golf course superintendent at New Albany Country Club near Columbus, Ohio, agrees with his former professor.

On campus to recruit co-op students last fall, he recalled that his own co-op experiences allowed him to learn the business before he graduated. "I worked under people who let me learn more than just an average summer student," he said. As a result, "I had a job waiting for me two months before I left school."

Mancuso has hired five cooperative education students from Mississippi State and notes that "they've been good employees. You know these students are interested."

'EVERYONE NEEDS AN ADVANTAGE'

"I want to hire employees who can contribute right away," said Mark Middleton, general manager of Multicraft Industries in Winona. A manufacturer of electro-mechanical assemblies for the automotive industry, Multicraft employs about 290 people at its Winona operation.

A 1986 mechanical engineering graduate, Middleton is a former co-op student who credits the program with helping him land a job at Multicraft. Last January, he hired his first co-op, mechanical engineering student Roland Curry of Gautier.

"I knew first hand how successful the cooperative education program is," he said. "As a co-op student, I got a lot of responsibility. I could see how my schoolwork applied."

He now sees cooperative education as a way to identify potential employees. "I would expect our co-ops to work with our manufacturing lines to design better processes or to solve quality problems. I would expect to see improvements in the manufacturing lines because of their efforts."

Assuming such responsibilities as a student can have benefits for the student as well as the company, he believes. "There's a very competitive job market today. Cooperative education gives an advantage in entering the market. Everyone needs an advantage to compete sucessfully."

"Working helps you learn responsibility . . . Cooperative education helps you mature as well." -Katina Reece

PERSONAL BENEFITS AS WELL

It's a long way from Macon to Ft. Meade, Maryland, but computer engineering senior Katina Reece says she's glad she made the journey.

She's worked as a cooperative education student with the National Security Agency, a position that required she gain security clearance. In helping solve computer issues for the agency she made a number of contributions, including providing a test system with software and hardware integration. Her success earned her a plaque from the agency for "Outstanding Contributions for Summer 1996."

"My college experience has been different because of co-op," she said. "I've had an opportunity to work and to learn. I wanted to get job experience, and I wanted to see my major in practice." Having succeeded at both, she's now ready to enter graduate school.

In addition to establishing credentials that will make her marketable when she's ready for the job market, Reece says that being a co-op provided some valuable lessons in growing up. "Working helps you learn responsibility," she commented. "Cooperative education helps you mature as well."

DO I REALLY WANT TO DO THIS?

Microbiology major Marjorie Baird of Columbus found that signing on for a cooperative education job at West Point's Bryan Foods helped her make a major career decision.

"I knew I didn't want to go to medical school," she explained, "but I wasn't sure that I wanted to be in the food industry, either."

Bryan's quality assurance manager Dan Etzler has provided a range of learning experiences that helped answer Baird's questions about her future. "I've worked in quality assurance for a number of departments," she explained. "I've also learned to deal with people and learned management skills."

The result: she'll pursue a career in the food industry. "Being a co-op student has helped me get more knowledge of the field and has given me experience that may put me ahead of other applicants," she noted.

"I'd encourage any student in Arts and Sciences to consider the benefits of the program," she said.

Microbiology major Marjorie Baird plans a career in the food industry.

IT'S A REAL WORLD OUT THERE

For students such as these, cooperative education is a real-world laboratory, said Epting.

"The world is changing," he noted. "There are more demands from employers for students who can contribute now. We want to help our Mississippi State students take advantage of the opportunities that are out there."

For more information about the cooperative education program at Mississippi State, contact Luther Epting at 662-325-3823.