History of MCEIA
A Brief Historical Perspective of the MCEIA
How it happened. On Thursday, October 23, 1975, sixty-five interested persons met at Dearborn, Michigan, and officially founded the Midwest Cooperative Education Associate. Over one-third of those attending the meeting were representatives from business and industry. Sixty-two persons from Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana had paid dues even before the organization was officially founded. The time was right for industry and education in the industrial heartland of the United States to join hands n a new common adventure-the founding of a professional association to promote the growth and qualitative advancement of cooperative education. The original goals of MCEIA were clear and simple:
- Broaden the interpretation and understanding of cooperative education.
- Strengthen the functioning of cooperative education among employers, within educational institutions, among the general public and with various branches of government.
- Provide a ready source of information about cooperative education to all constituent populations.
- Foster strong working relationships and interchange of ideas with national, state and local groups which promote cooperative education.
A constitution and slate of officers were presented at the charter meeting, and MCEIA was officially organized. The original officers were:
- Past President & Publicity, Jack Crusoe, University of Detroit
- President Jim Chambers, Burroughs Corporation
- President-Elect Marshall McGee, Central State University
- Membership Herb Peters, Ford Motor Company
- Secretary/Treasurer Virginia Lewis, University of Michigan of MI Dearborn
- Program Chair Gene Hamilton, Saginaw Valley State
