Paper Technology Foundation meets Oct. 18.
KALAMAZOO—Student success, scholarships and opportunities for students pursuing careers in the paper and allied industry will be center stage at the Paper Technology Foundation's 53rd annual meeting Thursday, Oct. 18, an event that each year attracts high-profile paper industry executives from across North America to Western Michigan University.
The Paper Technology Foundation stages the annual meeting to showcase the internationally renowned paper engineering and paper science programs offered by the WMU Department of Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Imaging. Established in 1958, the Paper Technology Foundation supports and enhances those world-class programs through a number of initiatives.
The annual meeting will help showcase a program whose graduates continue to be well-received by industry and are being placed at base salaries starting around $65,000 annually, plus signing bonuses and relocation packages. Seniors have 100 percent job placement and normally receive multiple job offers several months in advance of graduation, a trend that extends back more than a decade.
Students in the program are eligible for scholarships from the foundation of up to $26,500 over the course of their studies. Additionally, they earn an average of $90,000 through internships and co-ops during their academic careers at WMU.
Scheduled activities
A full slate of activities focusing on paper engineering and paper science students is set for the foundation's meeting day. A highlight will be a keynote presentation by Dr. Tony Lyons, director of research for IMERYS Pigments for Paper & Packaging, who will speak on "Pride, Prejudice and Paper Making" during the event's annual banquet Thursday evening.
Lyons has 28 years of experience in the areas of coating and paper finishing technology. He has regularly published and presented at TAPPI and PIRA conferences and in trade journals and holds patents in coating pigments, coated inkjet papers and vapor barrier coating.
The Paper Technology Foundation will showcase fall 2012 recipients at a dinner banquet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Other events during the day include the foundation's committee meetings, the PTF Board of Trustees meeting and the foundation's annual meeting from 3:30 to 4 p.m. The meetings are held in the ParkView conference room at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Other activities, including the banquet and a pre-banquet social hour, will be held in the Fetzer Center.
Registration
To register or for more information, contact John F. Bergin, foundation managing director, at (414) 364-4399 or john.f.bergin@wmich.edu; Jennifer Johnson, foundation administrative assistant, at (269) 276-3964 or jen.johnson@wmich.edu; or Kate Miller, foundation student recruiter and outreach officer, at (269) 276-3524 or katherine.miller@wmich.edu.