Why Don’t More Colleges Run Co-Op Programs?

Co-op programs are trending these days, with many colleges looking to offer students on-the-job experiences while taking classes. Jeff and Michael talk with Robert McMahan, president of Kettering University, which has a long-running co-op program for all students. He argues that more colleges could incorporate and scale the approach. But there are obstacles, both cultural and logistical. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

Episode 215 of the Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed podcast, hosted by Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn, titled "Why Don’t More Colleges Run Co-Op Programs?" was published on January 6, 2026 and runs 49 minutes.

January 6, 2026 ·49m · Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed

0:00 / 0:00

Summary

Co-op programs are trending these days, with many colleges looking to offer students on-the-job experiences while taking classes. Jeff and Michael talk with Robert McMahan, president of Kettering University, which has a long-running co-op program for all students. He argues that more colleges could incorporate and scale the approach. But there are obstacles, both cultural and logistical. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

Episode Description

Co-op programs are trending these days, with many colleges looking to offer students on-the-job experiences while taking classes. Jeff and Michael talk with Robert McMahan, president of Kettering University, which has a long-running co-op program for all students. He argues that more colleges could incorporate and scale the approach. But there are obstacles, both cultural and logistical. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

1:44 - An Unusual History of a Co-op Model

3:28 - Kettering Presidents’ Path to University Leadership

6:17 - Why Colleges Should Think of Employers as Their Customers

11:23 - Why Colleges Can’t Learn Everything They Need On Campuses

17:17 - How Kettering University’s Co-op Model Differs Than Others

20:44 - Why Isn’t Kettering More Popular?

24:44 - What Is Keeping More Universities From Doing Co-op Programs?

29:30 - Sponsor Break

31:05 - How More Colleges Can Move to a Co-op Model

35:36 - Companies Don’t Have Enough Internships to Meet Demand

39:08 - Could There Be ‘31 Flavors’ of Experiential Learning?

41:50 - Will We See a Return of the Corporate University?

45:52 - Lightning Round With Robert McMahan

Links

“Colleges Teach Learning, but They’re Not Learning How to Survive,” by Robert McMahan in Fortune.

“Former Governor Dishes on Connecting Work and College,” past Future U episode.

Connect with Michael Horn:

Sign Up for the The Future of Education Newsletter

Connect with Jeff Selingo:

Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

Sign Up for the Next Newsletter

Connect with Future U:

Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!

Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

Apr 13, 2026 ·19m

Apr 13, 2026 ·16m

Apr 13, 2026 ·19m

Apr 13, 2026 ·15m

Estudo da IBM revela previsões para adoção de IA no setor financeiro

Mar 25, 2026 ·47m

As dificuldades de empreender e apoiar a regulação no mercado cripto no Brasil

Mar 18, 2026 ·58m

Similar Podcasts

Yale Clean Energy Future Yale Clean Energy Future Our podcast was created with the idea that information about the clean energy transition should be in the hands of the public. We believe that if executed with equity and inclusivity at its core, the clean energy transition can play a key role in achieving justice, prosperity, and human dignity for all.Given the current context of the Covid-19 pandemic and recent transition of U.S. presidential power, we talk about the impacts of the pandemic on the clean energy transition as well as the opportunities to “Build Back Better.” At the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale [CBEY], our mission when it comes to clean energy, is to inspire and educate interdisciplinary leaders to accelerate the deployment and financing of clean energy. This podcast is one of the many tools in our toolbox to foster greater dialogue, educate the general public on energy, justice, and the transition, and a great excuse for us to keep learning from experts at Yale and beyond. So co After the Revolution sono A fiction podcast, based on the new novel 'After the Revolution' by Robert Evans. After The Revolution is set fifty years in the future, in a Texas wracked by civil war. We follow three characters: a "fixer" named Manny who leads reporters through the warzone, a young extremist named Sasha determined to join a militia called the Heavenly Kingdom, and an old veteran named Roland with a body full of U.S. army cyber-ware and a bunch of missing memories. Manufacturing Tomorrow Ohio Manufacturing Institute Manufacturing Tomorrow is a podcast series brought to you by the Ohio Manufacturing Institute at The Ohio State University. Featuring the perspectives of manufacturing leaders, we focus on the advanced manufacturing innovations, solutions and partnerships that exist in our region now and that will propel industry in the future.Our guests include the unsung heroes of advanced manufacturing, from company C-suite executives and engineers to industry-facing academics, supportive government agencies and regional economic development organizations. Interviews cover the latest topics on products, processes – and groundbreaking relationships –the best manufacturers engage in to infuse entrepreneurialism in their daily operations.Our mission is simple: to provide a voice to manufacturers to educate the public on the value of manufacturing innovation to the U.S. economy and to showcase how Ohio’s technology resource support providers (e.g., higher education, technical centers, and MEPs) boost ad Tanks by Murray Leinster (1896 - 1975) LibriVox Tanks and the future of war is what Murray Leinster speculates about in this story. Written in the 1920's he observed the terrible new inventions that were used in World War I to kill people, armored tanks and poisoned gas and then tells us how war will be fought in the future. In this case the war will occur in 1932 and be between the US and the 'Yellow enemy'. It was published in the very first issue of Astounding Stories of Super Science, January 1930. It is science fiction in the sense that it guesses what the future will hold for man based on developing the technology that was coming into being at the time, the 1920's. He leads off with a 'quote' from a future historian " ... The deciding battle of the War of 1932 was the first in which the use of infantry was practically discontinued ... —History of the U.S., 1920-1945 (Gregg-Harley).

URL copied to clipboard!