Charles Kettering and Kettering University
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| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman - College Senior |
| Discipline(s): |
General Engineering, Engineering Science Mechanical Engineering |
| Special Topic(s): |
History of Technology |
| Learning Resource Type: | Reference - Article/Document |
| Media Type: | WWW |
| Author(s): |
Richard Scharchburg
Organization: Kettering University Department: Thompson Professor of Industrial History |
| Description: | Biography of Charles Kettering, hosted at Kettering University. "When approached to support an early concept of "practical education" he observed "...that people learned not only with their minds, but with their eyes and ears and hands." He was expressing his unfaltering confidence in the superiority of an educational concept derived from his own teaching experience as well as involvement with several cooperative education institutions. Kettering's relationship to GMI can best be described as that of a godfather. It began with his first talk in Flint in 1916, ten years before General Motors decided to take over the school. Walter Chrysler, chairman of the Industrial Committee of the YMCA, invited Kettering to Flint to talk about his views on practical education. On that occasion Kettering noted: "Modern psychology teaches that experience is not merely the best teacher, but the only possible teacher.. There is no war between theory and practice. The most valuable experience demands both, and the theory should supplement the practice and not precede it... Briefly, the cooperative job is the student's laboratory in which he learns the details of his profession." Inventor and industrialist Charles "Boss" Kettering (1876-1958) liked to say, "Do the right thing at the right time." That's why a group of leading citizens in Flint came together in 1919 with a vision of progress for the growing automobile industry. What began almost 100 years ago as a night school for engineers, managers, designers and technicians has grown into today's world-class Kettering University. The institution was founded as The School of Automotive Trades and opened under the direction of Albert Sobey to train engineering and management personnel. In 1923, the school became the Flint Institute of Technology. The institution established a four-year cooperative education program, and more than 600 students enrolled. Recognizing the potential of cooperative education, the General Motors Corporation took over financial support of the school in 1926, renamed it General Motors Institute, and started utilizing the facility to develop its own engineers and managers. In 1945, the Institute added a fifth-year thesis requirement and became a degree-granting college with a continuing commitment to cooperative education. Independence came in 1982 as GM divested itself of ownership. With independence came another name change - to GMI Engineering & Management Institute. Administrators decided to keep the proven cooperative education program and expand the number of employers. Also in 1982, the institution began offering graduate programs to on- and off-campus students. On January 1, 1998, GMI changed its name to honor the man who not only helped found this institution, but also had a strong influence in the concept of professional cooperative education -- Charles "Boss" Kettering. Today there are more than 600 companies employing students in hundreds of locations around the world. Current co-op employers cover the full range of industries including the auto industry, delivery services, aerospace, paper products, banking, metallurgical, health care, and more. As Kettering University, the school continues its historic role of educating leaders for the businesses and industries of the world." |
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| Keywords: | Charles Kettering, automotive design |
| Usage Tip | |
| Use of Resource: | Interesting history that led to Kettering University, one of the top schools in automotive and mechanical design in the U.S. |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Interactivity Level: | Very Low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | 2008 |
| Platform/Format: | WWW |
| Cost: | Free |
| Download URL: | http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/about/charles_kettering.jsp |
| Metadata: | IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
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