MSC Today - Macon State College

Macon State College business majors participating in a Student Career Experience Program at Robins Air Force Base are shown with Base and College officials. Front row, left to right, are Patsy Reeves, director of contracting at Robins; students Patti Jackson, Danielle Johnson; Jill Armstrong and Sonia Cervantes; and Dr. Linda Cooper, MSC business professor and Student Career Experience Program coordinator. In the back row, left to right, are Robert Williams, resources management chief for RAFB's civilian personnel office, students Jennifer Cook, Leon Castellano and James Davidson; and Mike Hale, executive director of Macon State's Warner Robins Campus and Robins Resident Center programs.

Growing up as a military dependent, Jill Armstrong decided early on she wanted a career in federal government. After all, the pay seemed good and the opportunities plentiful.

After graduating from Perry High School in 2000, Armstrong entered Macon State College as a business management major in the hopes of eventually getting a job at the Robins Air Force Base.

Armstrong, 22, is one of seven Macon State business majors - all juniors and seniors - recently chosen to participate in a cooperative education program at Robins. While finishing her bachelor's degree, she and the other students are working part - time at the Directorate of Contracting with the possibility of full - time employment after graduation.

"It's an excellent opportunity," Armstrong said. "The co - op program will help me find out what careers are available at the Base and learn more about working for the government."

Cooperative education experiences, or so - called "co - ops," are nothing new at Robins, but they typically involve engineering majors working high - tech jobs while finishing their degrees. This is the first time the Directorate of Contracting, which negotiates contracts with suppliers of services and equipment on behalf of the Base, has hired business majors for a cooperative education program.

On the job, the Macon State business majors are putting their budding professional skills to work through acquisition planning, market research, dealing with procurement issues and negotiating fair and reasonable prices for services and products.

"It may seem overwhelming, but we have partnered each student with a highly qualified and experienced contracting officer who is responsible for their on - the - job training," said Patsy Reeves, contracting directorate director. "We're excited about this program and what it means to us and the students."

This latest co - op is part of Macon State's Student Career Experience Program, which is coordinated by business professor Dr. Linda Cooper. Mike Hale worked with Base officials to organize the contracting directorate co - op as executive director of Macon State's Warner Robins Campus and the Institute for Business & Information Management, the College's business and technology outreach arm.

"Macon State College is strongly committed to these kinds of educational partnerships with the Base," Hale said. "It's good for the Base and it's certainly good for our students."

Like Armstrong, Sonia Cervantes, another of the co - op students, has long wanted a job at Robins Air Force Base. "When you believe in the goals of your job," she said, "you know that you will be willing to give it 110 percent."

To identify Macon State students with the best qualifications to work at the contracting directorate, the College invited all junior and senior business majors with at least a 3.0 grade point average to apply for the cooperative education program. The seven students were chosen from among those interviewed at the Base.

They began their part time jobs in mid - January and are working 20 hours per week while taking full class loads to finish their degrees. The juniors are being paid at the federal GS - 04 pay grade level, or about $11 an hour. The seniors are being paid at the GS - 05 level, or about $13 an hour.

If the students complete their bachelor's degrees with at least a 3.0 grade point average, the Base will, if possible, offer the graduates full - time jobs at the GS - 07 level, which is currently $31,830 per year. Within two years of successful performance in a full - time position, they will be eligible to move into jobs at the GS - 11 level, currently $47,110 a year.

"About 40 percent of our civilian employees are eligible or nearly eligible for retirement," said Robert Williams, chief of the Civilian Personnel Office resource management branch at Robins. "This program is a great way to replenish our workforce with highly qualified people who have already had an opportunity to gain some experience at the Base."

Hale is currently talking to Base officials about setting up other cooperative education experiences. Plans call to have students in future co - op programs rotate semesters of full - time work with semesters of full - time study.

"These are such incredible opportunities for students that we want to make sure as many as possible are made available," Hale said. "When we can match up those opportunities with the personnel needs of the Base, that makes it even more worthwhile."