On April 28, Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T) Chancellor Dr. Mohammad Dehghani and Missouri State University President Richard B. Williams came together to tour the cooperative engineering program.

The program is located at the Plaster Center for Business Enterprise. It was President Williams’ first tour of the program.

With them were Missouri S&T Dean David Borrok, College of Natural and Applied Sciences Dean Dr. Tamera Jahnke and Associate Dean Dr. Jorge Rebaza. They toured the labs and met the faculty, staff and students in the program.

“It was a great opportunity for them to see this great partnership that we have going on,” said Dr. Theresa Odun-Ayo, engineering program director at Missouri State.

A positive collaboration

The cooperative engineering program between the two universities has grown steadily since its launch in fall 2019. It has three departments: civil, electrical and mechanical. Mechanical engineering leads in enrollment, while civil and electrical continue to expand.

During the tour, Odun-Ayo and faculty members guided the group through teaching and research labs. They showed students performing hands-on projects, including award winning designs and regional competition entries. Robotics, the Formula SAE Car and a creek monitoring system were among examples highlighted as evidence of collaboration across disciplines.

Planning for the future

After the tour, Dehghani and Williams met with Jahnke, Borrok and Odun-Ayo. She presented enrollment and retention data to show how the program has grown in recent years.

The discussion focused on the future. Both universities expressed strong support and interest in exploring new opportunities for collaboration.

“It gave us a chance to share how far we’ve come and where we’re going,” Odun-Ayo said.

Preparing engineers

Students in the cooperative engineering program work with local companies year-round through internships and co-ops.

These paid roles give practical experience and strengthen ties between the university and community. As graduates enter the workforce, many stay in the region and continue to support the local industry.

Learn more about cooperative engineering