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June 22, 2006 NDSU Burdick Center Offers Co-op Education and Research Some cooperatives thrive while others struggle to maintain their business. Why this happens is one of the questions the North Dakota State University Quentin Burdick Center for Cooperatives tries to answer. “The Burdick Center now provides co-op education and research to students, staff and the public,” says Gregory McKee, director. “In 1994, the original purpose of the center was providing co-op education for university personnel.” The center offers education and research information but is not involved in developing cooperatives. “The Quentin Burdick Center really taught me the understanding of human dynamics and their role in the development of co-ops,” says Bill Patrie, the rural development director for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives. “They were pivotal in the formation of my career as a developer.” Patrie explained that cooperatives are for anyone who wants to build a life through human cooperation. “Co-ops, by definition, are set up by people who will use their services,” explains McKee. “It is user-owned, user-operated, and the users benefit.” McKee provides educational seminars and classes to business managers and employees around the state, increasing their knowledge of the mechanics of a co-op. A PowerPoint presentation is available to check out as well. “I also teach an undergraduate class (Cooperatives 3) every spring,” says McKee. This class emphasizes agricultural economics and business by using modules that look specifically at forms of cooperatives. Industrial organization is closely analyzed in a cooperative or business. This includes how groups of people work together to market a product. “Questions of setting prices and how finances should be run may be asked,” says McKee. “The important thing is to be objective. We want as thorough a view of the cooperative as possible.” An advisory board consisting of professionals and academics suggests potential research ideas for the center. One is the success or failure of co-ops in North Dakota. Research has suggested management methods, resources and economics are among the reasons why some co-ops struggle while others succeed. The economic purpose of cooperatives is another research topic that deals with the basic ideas of limited wants and scarce resources. McKee became director of the Burdick Center in January 2006. The center had been without a director since William Nelson retired in 2003. “I come with my own ideas and can add to the past,” says McKee, who earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Davis, in 2005. “McKee follows the same spirit as the past directors of the Burdick Center and should do an excellent job in keeping the value of the co-ops alive,” says Patrie. McKee works alone at the center, but wants to form a team with the help of research funding. “These are exciting times,” says McKee. “North Dakota is at a changing point with business, and it will be interesting to see how cooperatives will affect the future.” ### Source:
Gregory McKee, (701) 231-8521, Gregory.McKee@ndsu.edu |
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North Dakota State University |
