Harry Heinmann

Description

Harry Heinemann was Dean of Cooperative Education, he discusses the Cooperative Education program.

Timestamp summary of interview (follows Sandra Watson interview on tape):
(41:13) Dean Harry Heinemann speaks about how President Joseph Shenker developed the college to integrate the academic curriculum with work experience and to serve the low middle income population of Western Queens. “… families would encourage their sons and daughters – particularly their daughters.”
(44:39) Explains the Quarter Calendar.
(45:15) “We wanted real jobs- we wanted students to be paid for the work they did” speaking of the Quarter Calendar and Cooperative Education.
(46:06) Partnerships with LaGCC started with a lot of ideas – lots of changes had to be made. They had to go out and market Cooperative Education, Dean Heinemann said, He had spoke about IBM and mentioned Professor Dorrie Williams (LaGCC faculty member of Cooperative Education)
(48:17) Discusses IBM and LaGCC students being hired and being hired as graduates and moving on to managerial positions.
(50:25) “In 1971, before the college opened, we were out there developing jobs – they went to Official Electronics, up the street, and were developing jobs.”
(51:40) Speaks about the development of Cooperative Education Prep for students and connecting work experience with classroom experience.
(53:17) “Back in the 1970s there was a tremendous demand for secretaries – so it was very easy to develop positions for secretaries. Today, here is a tremendous demand for computer science students and telecommunications majors.”
(54:27) Goes into how internships were developed. Faculty member would join in on meetings with business managers to work out educational needs
(55:46) Becomes a member of organizations such as the Queens Personnel Management Association and Queens Chamber of Commerce, to get to know the business community and promote Cooperative Education.
(57:24) Describes Changes in the economy and employment in the past 25 years and it’s effects on the Coop program. “We follow the economic pattern in the city and in the region.”
(58:51) He also discussed Coop Seminar, bridging work experience and academic credit Speaks about the use of field manuals and described TAR (Teaching Application Reinforcement) handbooks which connect to learning to work experience [Archivist Note: TAR books are kept in Institutional Archives collections]
(01:05:13) “LaGCC was really the first mandatory Cooperative Education program in the country at the 2 year college level and the first Cooperative Education that offered academic credit in all majors including Liberal Arts”
(01:06:31) Bloomingdale's was one of the first employers to take Coop students
(01.09.09) In reference to looking back 25 years – Heinemann spoke about the college changing to the Enhanced Calendar and how it made problems for Cooperative Education - the softening of the economy – internships becoming part-time and unpaid – working with IBM
(01:13:29) He said, graduates tend to stay with employers. “Employers are interested in our students, interested in a flexible labor force”.