The test of time
As the Marquette University Opus College of Engineering co-op program celebrates 100 years, it builds upon its purpose and strengths to evolve in an ever-changing world
By Ann Christenson, CJPA ’91
When Melissa Thill, Eng ’13, Grad ’18, presented the industry partner keynote address for Marquette’s 100th Year Co-op Celebration in early 2020, she elaborated on the growth mindset that fosters lifelong learning she discovered during her co-op with the research and technologies team at Illinois-based Fenwal Inc. from 2010 to 2012. After graduation, Thill was hired by Fenwal and spent seven years with the company, which was acquired by Fresenius Kabi in 2012.
“Throughout my time at Fenwal, I utilized my physiology knowledge from my co-op experience combined with my Marquette education to provide a balanced and unique perspective to the design of automated blood-separation technologies,” Thill said in a recent interview.
As a supervisor to Marquette co-op students during her tenure at Fenwal, Thill encouraged the co-op engineers to seek out tasks unfamiliar to them and take on challenging opportunities. In her keynote address, Thill, who now works for Abbott Laboratories, eloquently described her role as threefold: “to stand in front of (the co-ops), leading by example; to stand by their side, as we work as a team to accomplish a common goal; and stand behind them, when they need additional support. My goal is to help them discover their likes and dislikes, cultivate their strengths, provide constructive critiques, applaud their achievements, and inspire them to see the cathedral, even when they are hauling stones.”
The early years
The world has experienced seismic changes since the Marquette co-op program’s inception in 1919, and the program has evolved with the times. Mandatory for all engineering students when it was created, the co-op program became optional in 1946, when many returning World War II veterans enrolled in college on the GI Bill. Early employers to join the program included the City of Milwaukee, A.O. Smith, Eaton (previously named Cutler-Hammer) and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (then known as the Wisconsin State Highway Commission).
From 2016 to 2019, more than 275 companies across 25 states participated in the co-op program. And Marquette continues to add new companies every year. Of the 48 percent of engineering students who choose to do a co-op, some 50 percent of them receive an offer for a full-time position from their co-op company and around half of those students accept the offer. Many co-op alums — such as Jim McShane, Eng ’68, owner of the McShane Companies — have gone on to found their own companies and continue to stay connected to the university by hiring Marquette co-ops.
“The co-op program was a very important experience for me because I wasn’t sure what area of civil engineering I was most interested in, until I started my co-op job. I was able to eliminate several areas and focus on structural design, which eventually led me to start a construction company,” McShane says. “In turn, we have had good experiences hiring co-ops. It’s good for them to experience construction, to see if this works for them, and it is good for us to see if they are a good fit for us after they graduate. Several of the Marquette engineers who started with us as co-ops are now key executives here.”
Over the course of its 100 years, the Marquette co-op program continues to adapt to meet the changes of our always-shifting world. In 2008, in the midst of the Great Recession, Marquette cast its net and brought in more industry partners when some hard-hit ones weren’t able to follow through on their commitments to co-op students. Dr. Mark Federle, associate dean of academic affairs and professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, stepped in to help bring in a company whose relationship with Marquette would only deepen. When then-construction engineering student Mike Stern’s original co-op fell through, Federle connected him with Milwaukee’s J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., which is where Stern, Eng ’10, eventually completed his co-op experience and now works. Findorff went on to build The Commons, Marquette’s $108 million, state-of-the-art residence hall, in 2018, with Stern as the project manager.
COVID-19 co-op challenges
Alumna Thill describes the co-op program as focused on “exploration.” As the world has become more global, co-op students are connecting across cultures. While companies temporarily aren’t able to have students participate in co-ops abroad due to pandemic travel restrictions, students are able to join the daily business calls with their co-op industry partners in other countries. GE Healthcare is one such example, where budding engineers are able to hone their communication skills in early-morning phone calls to India, where GE has an office.
Construction engineering major Teddy Martin finished up his co-op at Atlanta-based ARCO Design/Build in summer 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic. In his first term, he worked as a project manager co-op, a position that enabled him to be actively involved in the team. He participated in tasks such as writing contracts, getting bids and writing weekly reports. By his fourth term, Martin was working “out in the field.” With COVID-19 safety protocols in place, he was still able to interact with the supervisors and work actively on job sites, he says. Of most value was “just getting the chance to interact with people in the field and learn about their experiences,” Martin says. “Each term, I saw a different perspective, from the front end of estimating, the design, the building of the design, then seeing the finished building.”
The many challenges of COVID-19 notwithstanding, co-op students are learning essential interpersonal skills — the exchange of appropriately worded emails, the logistics of virtual meetings — and that is helping them not only as engineers but as communicators, says Katherine Atkinson, the Opus College’s director of industry relations. As the world becomes more digital, co-op students are learning to build intentional relationships, be proactive, and appreciate being in person to learn, work and grow. And Marquette’s co-op program is pivoting right along with them.
“Industry, technology and the world of work have evolved over the last 100 years and will continue to do so. For the co-op program to remain relevant and provide a valuable experience for companies and students, we listen carefully to the feedback students, co-op managers and companies share with us to ensure our students are prepared through their technical engineering curriculum and have the essential skills needed to be successful,” Atkinson adds. “Many of these skills have stood the test of time and are naturally, yet intentionally, integrated into our engineers’ education — problem-solving through discernment, emotional intelligence, responsible and ethical communication, leadership for the common good, and a commitment to justice and equity.”
