TRSM alumnus creates first award to recognize Co-op students
TRSM alum Nevil Knupp always felt that what made a Ryerson degree unique was that special combination of practical, hands-on experience with educational theory that is deep in the university’s DNA. The Ted Rogers Co-op program offers business students just that, which inspired Knupp (Business Administration, Business Information, 1982, Business Management, 1986) to create an award to support it.
“Learning with application is a lifelong pursuit we should all commit to. And to do co-op is to do both simultaneously, with learning in the class and application ‘in the wild’ at a job assignment,” explains Knupp. “This is essential for the ultimate learning experience, and I wanted to establish an award to give back to those students who excel during their co-op work term.”
This new award, called the Herman Schneider Memorial Award for Excellence in Co-op, recognizes a TRSM Co-op student’s excellence in job performance, as well as their academic achievement and contributions to the Ted Rogers Co-op Program, and is the first award created for Co-op students at the school.
Knupp, now the Vice President of Business Development at CARFAX Canada after working at IBM for 36 years, wanted to name the award after educator Herman Schneider because he invented the idea of co-operative education. “Schneider saw past the ethereal limitation inherent in ‘boon learning’ and the value of a combined work experience, and deserves this recognition,” Knupp says.
The first recipient of the award is 4th year Accounting & Finance student Abdullah Waqar, who completed three co-op work-terms at two organizations: two at Bell Canada working as a Project Delivery Financial Management Co-op, and one at Deloitte LLP as a Mergers and Acquisitions Analyst.
“Abdullah has demonstrated his value to employers through his outstanding workplace reviews at the same time as achieving a minimum CGPA of 3.5,” says Donna Muirhead, Manager, Co-operative Education at TRSM. “He has also been an excellent ambassador for the Ted Rogers Co-op Program by contributing to the peer mentorship program, participating in marketing campaigns and co-op presentations, and working with us to bring new employers on campus.”
Waqar applied to the Accounting and Finance Co-op program because of the numerous benefits a student derives from the experience. “The experience you get from working in different industries and services allows you to build your brand and start your professional career,” he explains. “And, all of this learning on the job, in different organizations and teams, allows you to determine what you like and don’t like.”
Waqar is thrilled and grateful to receive this award. “Winning the first-ever Herman Schneider Memorial Award means so much to me,” he says. “I am absolutely honoured to be given an award named after the founder of co-operative education and a program that so heavily works on putting the best students in the workforce.” The Herman Schneider Memorial Award, which carries a value of $2,000, will be formally presented to Waqar at the SAF Awards Dinner on November 21, 2018.
Knupp challenges every graduate of Ryerson who has been as successful and fortunate as him to give back to the school in the form of awards for the future leaders of our world – the students.
In addition to the inaugural co-op award, Knupp also supports the THINKTeam Award, which recognizes and supports a student with financial need in the Ted Rogers School of Information Technology Management who demonstrates commitment to the success of themselves and their peers.
The expansion of the Ted Rogers Co-op Program at the Ted Rogers School of Management was made possible through a generous gift from William and Catharina Birchall.