By Katie Pence, Director, Media Relations, University of CincinnatiFor well over a century, University of Cincinnati students have taken their classroom learning into the workplace, earning real-world pay while gaining valuable professional experience through cooperative education (co-op). The university facilitated 8,395 co-op placements with 1,757 employers. UC President Neville G. Pinto notes how the institution’s early leadership in cooperative education continues to shape its forward-thinking approach. “As the pioneer of cooperative education, the University of Cincinnati changed the way the world learns,” says President Pinto. “UC is bucking national trends with growth in both co-op placements and wages,” says Annie Straka, associate dean in UC’s College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies.