May 13, 2008
For Immediate Release

Ira Henschel is RCCC's
2008 Co-op Student of the Year

          SALISBURY, N.C. — Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has named Ira Henschel the 2007-08 Cooperative Education Student of the Year.

           Henschel has earned an associate degree in Electronics Engineering Technology and graduated May 10. During the spring 2008 semester, through RCCC's cooperative education (co-op) program, Henschel worked for Southern Co., at its Rowan plant.
Southern Co., owns and operates energy-producing plants in multiple Southeast states. While working as a co-op student, Henschel preformed a number of operations using specialized software and tools. He learned about the plant's operations and provided oral reports to management on a monthly basis. He also maintained a stockroom, pulled fiber-optic cable and disassembled an old control room.

           Henschel is a U.S. Army veteran and earned recognition on RCCC's academic honor roles for multiple semesters. He also received the 2008 Outstanding Student Award in Electronics Engineering. He is from Clinton, N.C.

           RCCC's co-op student of the year nominees are chosen by the college's co-op faculty coordinators. A selection committee comprised of employers, school administrators and faculty members selects the student of the year. Selection criteria include grade-point average, each student's award application, interviews, letters of reference and employer evaluations.

           Cooperative education blends classroom learning with practical work experience. RCCC's co-op program is designed to make the student's education more meaningful by integrating classroom study with planned supervised practical work assignments in business, industry, government and professional and service organizations. The program is called cooperative education because educators and outside employers work together to design and provide a superior educational experience for students.

           RCCC offers two co-op plans. Through the "alternating" plan, students alternate semesters of full-time work (40 hours per week) with semesters of carrying a full course load. In the "parallel" plan, students work part-time (10-30 hours per week) while attending classes.

           Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is a comprehensive, community-based institution of higher learning, serving the citizens of Rowan and Cabarrus Counties. RCCC offers approximately 40 programs of study in business, health and human services and engineering technologies at multiple campus locations. RCCC annually provides more than 2,000 course offerings, serving an enrollment of approximately 20,000 adult students. RCCC programs include an associate degree in arts and sciences, an associate degree in applied science, and diploma and certificate programs focusing on workforce training, continuing education and basic skills education.

           In addition, RCCC provides the education and job-training programs needed to meet many of the workforce demands of the North Carolina Research Campus, under construction in Kannapolis, N.C.

           For complete details, see the RCCC website at www.rowancabarrus.edu.