Agenda: Groundbreaking Ceremonies for New Herman Schneider Quadrangle

The University of Cincinnati is the global founder of cooperative education, the practice wherein students alternate quarters spent in the classroom with quarters of paid, professional work.

When UC began co-op in 1906, it first sent out 27 untested engineering students to work with 12 local employers. And three of those original 12 employers are still co-op partners with the university – even after the passing of a century and after co-op’s spread to 43 countries. Indeed, UC’s own co-op program has grown to encompass 1,500 employer partners spread throughout the globe.

As part of the 2006 centennial celebrations related to co-op, UC will host a groundbreaking – in cooperation with local employers – of two new co-op plazas on campus. The plazas will be located on the east end and the west ends of Baldwin Quad, which will be renamed Herman Schneider Quad in honor of co-op’s founder, Herman Schneider, one-time president of the university. The groundbreaking ceremonies will begin at 10:15 a.m. and the actual breaking of ground will occur at about 10:40 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 15, near the west side of Swift Hall.

Agenda for the groundbreaking is as follows

10:15 a.m.
Brief welcome by Kettil Cedercreutz, director of Professional Practice (Co-op) at UC.

10:17 a.m.
Welcome by Nancy Zimpher, UC president, and introduction of three 100-year co-op employers. President Zimpher will also announce that the site will contain a co-op time capsule to be opened in 2056.

10:22 a.m.
Ron Brown, CEO, Milacron, Inc., speaks regarding co-op’s effect on Milacron. With Brown will be Richard Yund, director, Scheduling, Procurement and Information Technologies at Milacron, who began there as a UC co-op student starting in 1966.

10:27 a.m.
Don Lane, CEO, Makino, speaks regarding co-op’s effect on Makino. With Lane will be a current UC co-op student working for the company, Jonathan Taphorn. Also present will be Ken Brill, who began with the firm decades ago as a UC co-op student.

10:32 a.m.
William Finley, engineering and technology manager, Siemens speaks regarding co-op’s effect on his company and his life. (Finley began his career as a 1974 UC co-op student at Siemens.) With Finley will be more recent UC co-op hires from 1998: Jason Obermeyer and Ben Flick, both working as product engineering managers.

10:40 a.m.
President Zimpher and employer representatives break ground.

10:45 a.m.
Presentation of shovels to employers as take-away gifts. Employers also presented with individual plaques celebrating their 100-year co-op partnership with UC.

10:50 a.m.
Employers and other visitors adjourn to UC Joseph A. Steger Student Life Center to  meet artist Anna Christofordis who will create the bust of co-op founder Herman Schneider. When complete, the bust will be placed on one of the new plazas.

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