MEMO

Seymour and Esther Padnos School of Engineering

Grand Valley State University

TO: Students beginning the second co-op session

FROM: Dr. S. Fleischmann, Faculty Co-op Coordinator

DATE: December 1, 1997

SUBJECT: Academic requirements for co-op

Welcome to your second session of co-op! By now most of you are ready for the change in routine that working in industry offers. As was the case last summer, there are a few academic requirements.

First, you must all be registered for 2 credits of EGR 390 - this will be important to us and to your employers.

Second, there is an assigned book: The Goal by Eli Goldratt and Jeff Cox. This is available in paperback form in our bookstore and also in most popular bookstores. It is a novel about an engineer faced with problems in his manufacturing plant and problems in balancing his personal life. Most students have enjoyed this book and have gained quite a bit from it; this was certainly the case for me. Read the book and prepare a 1-2 page summary of the book and your own reaction to it.

Third, as you did last summer, keep a journal with at least weekly entries. Keep in mind that this journal is a record of your "process of becoming" an engineer, not just a list of things you did. Do talk about tasks assigned, but write about your reaction to them: ...did you learn something?...did you work with someone who you would like to be like, or someone you would not like to emulate?...did you get a glimpse of something really fascinating?...you get the picture.

Fourth, there will be an evening meeting which you will be expected to attend. Tentatively this is set for Tuesday, April 14, 1998 at 5:00 in room 610 of the Eberhard Center.

Fifth, each of you will prepare a 1-2 page summary of you co-op experience. We will keep this in your file and we may use it when employers ask us what students normally do on co-op. Unlike your journal which is read only by the assigned faculty member and which is not copied in any way, this will be a sort of public document.

Now for 2 new requirements:

Sixth, attend at least one cultural event during the semester and prepare a short (1/2 page) review of it. Movies and videos do not count here. Attend a concert or a play...there is a lot going on at DeVos Hall and in other places in the Grand Rapids area - especially during the holiday season. There is a wonderful exhibit of the paintings of Perugino ( called by his contemporaries"the best painter in Italy" around the year 1470) in the Grand Rapids Art Museum. In Chicago there is an exhibit of paintings by Renoir. You could go to the Public Museum here in Grand Rapids, or the Ford Museum...there are many possibilities. Appreciating cultural events is an important part of being an educated person - and building a little balance into your own professional lifestyle is important.

Seventh, begin to read a news periodical on a regular basis. This could be NewsWeek or US News and World Report or the Wall Street Journal....or the Grand Rapids Press. Again this will be your choice. We would like to encourage you, through this requirement, to stay abreast of developments in world affairs, the economy, etc....all important to players in a global economy and to truly free citizens in a democratic republic. Just let us know which source you have picked and list it on the 1/2 page report on the cultural event.

NOTE: 7 requirements

Please do stay tuned for ASME student section events. In most cases we will co-program with SME, NSBE, and IEEE. We will most likely be meeting every other week on Tuesdays from 1-2. Most of these meetings will be presentations on co-op companies by students who have worked there. We will also be working on the Mel Trotter Mission Playroom Project. There is a student section homepage for ASME as well as a senior section ASME homepage. The senior section will be scheduling quite a few tours during the coming semester. Check the homepage for details.

As always, we encourage you to read many books in order to broaden your perspective and provide entertainment and enjoyment.

The rest of the faculty joins me in wishing each of you a joyous holiday season followed by a successful co-op semester. Do use the opportunity to work out a professional lifestyle which works for you...Take your work seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously....allow times to learn new technical things but also read non-technical books and magazines, spend time with your families and build strong family ties....become rich in knowledge but also rich in spirit and soul.