UC Inducts 2007 Honorees into Co-op Hall of Honor

FROM LEFT: Anita Todd-CEIA, Roy L. Wooldridge, Dr. Ron Wright-President of Cincinnati State,Dr. Nancy Zimpher-President of UC, E. Sam Sovilla, Ray Heyob-P&G, Tom Akins-Georgia Institute of Technology

On June 4 the University of Cincinnati honored individuals and institutions fundamental to the historical success of cooperative education by inducting them into the Cooperative Education Hall of Honor. UC founded the world’s first co-op program in 1906 and created the Hall of Honor last year for co-op’s centennial.

President Nancy Zimpher hosted the induction dinner at University House where she expressed her gratitude for the inductees’ support of cooperative education and presented each with an award composed of marble and glass to symbolize the solid foundation and limitless possibilities that co-op provides to students around the world.

The inductees’ names will be engraved in granite and located in the Herman Schneider Quadrangle on the UC campus along with the names of individuals and organizations inducted into the first cohort in 2006 as part of cooperative education’s Centennial Celebration.
2007 Co-op Hall of Honor inductees are:

In 1967, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College became the first two year, technical college to incorporate a mandatory cooperative education requirement into the academic curricula for all majors. Theirs is the largest two year co-op program in the United States.

The Cooperative Education & Internship Association (CEIA) is one of the largest cooperative education professional organizations in the world. In 1963, it became the first organization in the field to provide a forum for all persons interested in cooperative education.

The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Co-op Program is the fourth oldest in the nation and one of the leaders in cooperative education on the national level. From the time US News and World Report created the “Top 10 Programs that Work”, Georgia Institute of Technology has been listed each and every year.

At all levels, The Procter & Gamble Company has been a long-time supporter of cooperative education and has provided exceptional work experience for many co-op students. They recruit the finest and build their organization from within, hiring many co-op students as full-time students after they’ve graduated.

E. Sam Sovilla served as the Director and Associate Provost of the Division of Professional Practice at the University of Cincinnati from 1975 to 2000. He has consulted for more than 200 schools and corporations starting or expanding their co-op participation, in addition to acting as a consultant with the U.S. Department of Education.

Roy L. Wooldridge was a principal leader in the expansion of cooperative education in the 1960s, 1970s & 1980s. He served as Director, then Dean, and later as Vice President of Northeastern University's Department of Cooperative Education from 1949 until his retirement in 1989.