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Jeremy Larson got a great head start on a
college degree and a promising career because of a cooperative
agreement between Gordon Cooper Technology Center and Seminole
State College.
A cooperative agreement gives high school students and adults
the opportunity to enroll in an approved technology center program
and receive college credit leading toward an Associate in Applied
Science degree.
When Jeremy was a senior at Earlsboro High
School in rural Pottawatomie County, he enrolled in the Computerized
Manufacturing Technology program at Gordon Cooper Technology
Center in Shawnee. He spent half of his school day at his high
school and the rest of the day at the technology center.
Through the cooperative agreement, he was able to earn 15 hours
of college credit while he was still in high school. He also
earned mathematics credits at the technology center for his high
school transcript.
After high school graduation, Jeremy continued in a second year
of Computerized Manufacturing at Gordon Cooper Technology Center
through a 13th year tuition waiver. He learned conventional machining
his first year at the technology center and computer numerical
control machining the second year.
While finishing the second year of Computerized Manufacturing
at Gordon Cooper Technology Center, he earned an additional 17
hours of college credit. That same year he started his college
studies at Seminole.
Jeremy earned 32 hours of college credit at the technology center
toward a 64-hour associate degree. He successfully completed
his degree last May. |
| Jeremy Larson of Shawnee
works on a Zeiss coordinate measuring machine at Gordon Cooper
Technology Center in Shawnee. The machine runs Calypso software
to measure machined parts to .0001 of an inch. |
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Jeremy's story doesn't end there. He landed a great job at Accurate
Gauge Laboratory in Oklahoma City. He uses his training to calibrate
precision measuring tools used in industry.
He plans to enroll in the University of
Oklahoma in January to work toward a mechanical engineering degree.
The opportunities aren't limited to the machining field. Cooperative
agreements are in place for many of the programs at Gordon Cooper
Technology Center and other technology centers and community
colleges across Oklahoma. Technology center programs range from
business to health care to technical fields.
"Cooperative agreements are a super way for students to
get on the fast track for success," Central Oklahoma Technology
Consortium coordinator Dale
Donaho said.
Students can use cooperative agreements to go through a planned
sequence of courses without having to repeat classes in college.
A high school student can shorten the time it takes to prepare
for a good job, he said.
posted 9/4/2002
Related Link
Gordon
Cooper Technology Center
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