Over the past several weeks, I've met many members of the Northeastern community—students, faculty, staff members, trustees, and, of course, alumni. These conversations are always interesting and enlightening, and they frequently center on the topic of co-op. It is clearly the thread that has woven its way through the generations of students from our inception to the present day.

One of the things that attracted me to Northeastern is how this university chose to create its own destiny. In most institutions, a dichotomy exists between study and practice. We have elected to combine the two in the belief that study and practice enlighten each other. This is the basis for cooperative education, and this approach is gaining ground in higher education. In fact, others are now emulating us, so our challenge is to remain ahead. Here are some thoughts about how.

Faculty and deans stress the need to further the integration of classroom learning with workplace experiences. This is one of the crucial connections that make cooperative education so powerful for students. There has been substantial progress made in this area, and we will continue to explore innovative ideas for such integration.

Students say they love co-op, and they challenge us to make it ever richer. They are eager to find co-op positions that give them a competitive edge and allow them to take advantage of emerging fields and technologies. Fortunately, we exist in a time of unparalleled knowledge creation. We must capitalize on this opportunity to develop a broader array of co-op jobs that meet the expectations of our students and their employers.

Globalization is breaking down the barriers of time and distance. This creates new possibilities for international co-op jobs. These positions would provide our students with access and skills to succeed in the new global economy. We want our students, the future ambassadors of the university, to be as comfortable in Shanghai, Johannesburg, Mumbai, or Mexico City as they are in Boston.

Co-op is the anchor of experiential education, and it is complemented by two other dimensions: service-learning and research. Service-learning allows students to work with community-based organizations addressing societal concerns. As an urban university, we make this part of our mission. Research enhances team learning and allows students to become knowledge creators. These dimensions, properly integrated, complete the experiential model.

Excellence in the areas described above will fortify our position as the model of best practices in co-op and other forms of experiential learning. I would like to enlist the help of all alumni. I welcome your involvement to help us find new and exciting co-op opportunities. Please forward any ideas or suggestions to me at president@neu.edu.

Sincerely,

Joseph Aoun
President, Northeastern University