UC’s international co-op program receives global acclaim

Elliott is only the third U.S. educator to ever receive the prestigious MacLaren Award from the World Association for Cooperative Education.

“UC’s International co-op was one of the very first of its kind, and it’s still a rarity in higher education, enabling students to take intensive German, Japanese, French or Spanish language and cultural training followed by an eight-month co-op where they are able to participate in overseas work directly related to their majors," says Gigi Escoe, vice provost for undergraduate studies and interim dean for career education. "It provides outstanding opportunities for motivated students, and we join in the congratulations for Professor Elliott’s work to develop this and other international options for students.”

The International Co-op Program contributes to the university’s leading reputation for experience-based education. Earlier this month, the U.S. News and World Report undergraduate rankings guide placed UC at No. 3 among all U.S. universities — and No. 1 among public institutions — for co-ops and internships. As the global founder of cooperative education, UC houses the world’s third-largest co-op program where each year, students earned a collective $75 million annually working for about 1,300 international employers.

Though such accolades and honors are welcome, Elliott says that is the success of UC’s students and alumni in the international arena that serve as the most-satisfying reward. “I’m still in contact with students who were among the first to take advantage of the International Co-op Program. Some continued to live and worked abroad after graduating from UC, thanks to their ICP experience. They are now in Germany, Japan, Canada and other locales. It’s an alumni network on which we build to continue to create opportunities, and helping to create such a legacy has been the best thing I could ever ask for,” she states.

She also assisted the College of Engineering and Applied Science when the college created a partnership with China’s Chongqing University (CQU) leading to the Joint Co-op Institute (JCI) and a dual-degree program.

In 1997, she became one of the founding members who plan and organize an annual Colloquium on International Engineering Education. The Colloquium, created through the University of Rhode Island, addressed the lack of international focus in engineering curriculum. Along with colleague Chris Cooper, Elliott is co-hosting the Colloquium at UC in 2019. The multiday event brings university presidents, deans, department heads and students together to explore how theycan create international co-op and internship programs at their respective institutions.