Annual meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 10.
KALAMAZOO—A 100 percent job placement rate and $230,000 in annual scholarships will provide the backdrop Tuesday, Sept. 10, when high-profile industry executives and alumni from across North America gather for the Paper Technology Foundation's 54th annual meeting at Western Michigan University.
A full slate of activities focusing on paper engineering and paper science students is on tap for the annual meeting.
The Paper Technology Foundation, which has a long tradition of providing scholarships to students, will recognize 2013-14 scholarship recipients at a special banquet. During the banquet, guests will be entertained by the Western Dance Project and students from the WMU Musical Theatre Program. Other events during the day include the foundation's committee meetings followed by the PTF Board of Trustees meeting.
The meetings are held in the ParkView conference room at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, while other activities will be held in the Fetzer Center.
The conference also will celebrate WMU's paper engineering and paper science programs as serving an integral role in a sustainable industry and offering tremendous opportunity for students.
Grads in high demand
WMU paper engineering graduates continue to be held in high demand by the industry and are currently enjoying 100 percent job placement, with base salaries starting at around $65,000 to $70,000 annually, highest among all WMU majors, plus signing bonuses and relocation packages. In addition, paper engineering seniors normally receive multiple job offers several months prior to graduation, a trend that extends back more than a decade.
In recent years, paper engineering students have generated an average of $90,000 throughout their academic careers by working as productive professionals during internships and co-ops. These real-life experiences, along with their academic accomplishments, have created a foundation for successful career launches with enviable starting salaries and positions. Underlying that success are scholarships from the Paper Technology Foundation, offering each student $33,000 toward their degrees.
Established in 1958, the Paper Technology Foundation enhances student education by offering industry exposure, scholarships and assistance with internships, co-ops and permanent placement for WMU's world-class Paper Engineering Program offered by the Department of Chemical and Paper Engineering.
To register or for more information, contact John F. Bergin, foundation managing director, at (414) 364-4399 or john.f.bergin@wmich.edu, or Kate Miller, foundation student recruiter/outreach officer, at (269) 276-3524 or Katherine.miller@wmich.edu.