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Title: Dorrie Williams
Description: Dorrie Williams at the time of the interview was Associate Dean of Cooperative Education. He talks about establishing the Cooperative Education program at the College, the changes in the college, and the future of work. Timestamp summary of VHS interview: (1:16) Talks about work experience at IBM before coming to LaGCC, finding out about the college and coming in for an interview. (2:27) Meets with Sheila Gordon at the new college, and said he thought he went to the wrong address – “it was not a college”. Goes on to describe the M-Building in its original condition as an empty factory. (5:57) He also meets with Gordon’s co-worker Ben Baim. There were only 2 people and the secretary that made up Cooperative Education. (6:50) They could not hire Williams until they hired the Dean of Cooperative Education – The Dean would make the final decision – but they would recommend Williams to the Dean. (7:29) After an interview with Dean Harry Heinemann Williams was hired and started working on May 1, 1971. (7:55) Williams said, that summer there was lots of work in terms of recruiting. (8:52) He said, Cooperative Education was on the 3rd floor of the Main building, along with all of the other college offices. (9:19) President Joseph Shenker (Williams also mentions Dr. Rose Palmer) had mandated the Cooperative Education program for all students and built the mission of the college around the concept. (10:56) LaGCC had a division of Cooperative Education at the Deans level – reporting directly to the President. (12:28) They had looked around the country at other established Cooperative Education programs at Antioch College in Ohio, and Northeastern University in Boston. Also looked at BMCC’s (Borough of Manhattan Community College) program in the CUNY system. (13:40) Talks about hiring new staff and the general excitement at the college- coming right out of the 60s (15:31) Williams spoke about the history of the idea of cooperative education history starting from the University of Cincinnati – LaGCC looked at all theories and spoke about how to attract students in Western Queens. (17:49) Speaks about the curriculum and relevant education. (18:48) Williams discussed technology and the work environment beginning to change – “We as a society had to better prepare our future workers.” (21:35) He said they all sat down, himself, Dean Heinemann, Sheila Gordon, Ben Bain, and other members and agreed to build a marketing plan. (23:17) Williams said they were lucky to have companies here in the Metropolitan Area - they had established a brochure for Cooperative Education. (29:00) Talks about contacting CEOs or Human Resources managers in the first few years of the college “We would send literature of who we were and what we needed and would get back to them.” (41:43) Williams discussed the changes over the first 25 years of the college– society having evolved, the college growing, and changes in student demographics, especially in the end of the 1970s to the mid-1980s. (50:26) Williams discussed the year 1990 and the changing future of work (52:33) Discussed students learning to work and interact with others. (55:16) Summarizes the Cooperative Education program and how the college served as a model for Coop Education worldwide.
Subjects: , 25th Anniversary, Oral History, Williams, Dorrie, Cooperative Education
Publisher: LaGuardia Community College (New York, N.Y)