Co-op is what Drexel does better than anyone else. If you were a Drexel undergrad, your co-op experiences are probably among your most durable memories. It’s quite possible, in fact, that co-op helped define your career.

This issue’s cover story offers “the whole picture” of Westphal College’s remarkable Photography program. Once again, I’m struck by how co-op further separates an already outstanding academic program from its competition.

“You are not going to get a job in this business without prior experience,” says Program Director Paul Runyon. “It will not happen.” That’s true of many careers, and it’s why co-op is the best educational model for today’s economy.

Runyon and his colleagues use their wide industry networks to help their students find the best placements. And across the University, faculty members and the outstanding staff of the Steinbright Career Development Center work tirelessly to develop opportunities that change our students’ lives.

In terms of quantifiable impact, U.S. Department of Education statistics show that a college internship adds 2.2 percent to average earnings in the first decade after graduation, but a co-op experience adds 8.8 percent. And a Brookings Institute study found that Drexel bachelor’s degree holders earn $17,852 more than graduates of comparable institutions, placing them in the top 13 percent of graduates from all four-year institutions.

Beyond the numbers, there’s the reputation that Drexel graduates have among employers as self-starters, and the value our students place on knowing how the real world works. Those are the biggest benefits of experiential learning. And after nearly 100 years of co-op at Drexel, no university is better at providing them.

Sincerely,

John A. Fry / President