Charles F. Kettering Award

Description:

Since 1978 the Cooperative Education and Internship Association recognizes an employer/company from industry, business, or government who provides outstanding resources and service to the cooperative education and internship field.

This award is named after Charles F. Kettering. Kettering was a trustee and benefactor of Antioch College and Research Director of the General Motors Corporation, as well as Chairman of the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation. Long an admirer the values of co-op, he was disappointed with the lack of national attention to co-op’s 50th anniversary celebration and decided to do something about it. From his influential position, he was able to charge the Edison Foundation with the responsibility to focus appropriate attention on co-op. This resulted in a national study of co-op’s values. This study ultimately resulted in the formation of the National Commission for Cooperative Education with the purpose to promote the expansion of cooperative education. Up until Kettering’s involvement, any professional group in the field was not promoting co-op expansion. Therefore, in a significant way, Kettering’s intervention set into motion a new era in co-op, an era in which major efforts were undertaken to expand co-op to institutions throughout the country. Eventually these endeavors resulted in Title Vlll federal funding.

Current Award Recipient:

Daniel Vornhagen, Danis Building Construction Company

Click here to view information on this CEIA Award Recipient

Click here to view past award recipients

Nominations Deadline:

November 1

Criteria/ Eligibility:

  • Evidence of success in the practice of cooperative education and/or internships, such as time in field, management, and growth of home organization’s program.
  • Distinguished service, leadership and advancement to the field at the national, state, and/or regional level.
  • Evidence of successful efforts to expand the practice and/or philosophy of cooperative education and/or internships on an employer level, such as serving as a mentor, role model or providing guidance to others in the field.

Examples of how an organization/company nominee may meet these criteria could include, but are not limited to:

  • Years in the field, years of service to a program(s), institution/employer organization(s)
  • Management and growth of employer program(s), program size, life span, and quality compared to the total size
  • State and regional activities
    Professional organization service as an officer, in committee work, organizing workshops or conferences
  • Mentoring, coaching, serving as an active role model
  • Nominations should clearly describe the outstanding contributions of the nominee including specifically how the nominee meets the above criteria.

Application:

You must be a current CEIA member to nominate an organization/company for this award.  Please complete a nomination via the link below, including a statement (formatted in Word), not to exceed two pages, single spaced, describing why the organization/company nominee meets the criteria for consideration of the Charles F. Kettering Award. If applicable, please upload the organization/company nominee representative’s Resume and/or Curriculum Vitae.

Supporting materials may be requested by the committee if necessary.

Click here to view a sample pdf of nomination form.