History in Full
Brief History on the Establishment of the Paper Technology Department and the Paper Technology Foundation INC.
The paper industry began in Kalamazoo in 1867. The Kalamazoo River Valley provided all of the necessary resources to establish the paper industry in 1867; ample water and timber was readily available. Talented men with names like Lyon, Bryant and Gibson combined the ample resources and immigrant labor force available in the Kalamazoo Valley into a thriving industry serving the markets in the greater Midwest and in particular, Chicago; a world leader in printing at the time.
A report by the W.E. Upjohn Institute written in 1958 cites the importance of the paper industry in Kalamazoo County. "Yet so deeply is the paper industry imbedded in the Kalamazoo area that in 1954 approximately 32 percent of the combined sales of all the manufacturing, distributive, and service industries and 24 percent of total personal incomes in Kalamazoo County came directly or indirectly through its activities. Through its effectiveness in the use of the natural and human resources of the area, together with its extensive use of national and world markets the paper industry touches the lives of almost all of us." It is with that backdrop that the industry leadership supported a school for Paper Technology at Western Michigan University in 1948.
Initially the school was part of the Chemistry Department and operated that way until 1953, in 1953 it became part of the school of Applied Arts and Sciences and a separate department; the Department of Paper Technology at Western Michigan University. Today the department has the title Chemical and Paper Engineering and operates within the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Western Michigan University.The industry leadership that supported the establishment of the Paper Technology Department in 1948 had the motivation and foresight to take another important step in 1958. In 1958 they established the Paper Technology Foundation with the mission of recruiting students and providing scholarships for students interested in careers in the Pulp and Paper industry. The Paper Technology Foundation was officially incorporated on April 28, 1958.
Since 1949 the department has established and maintained a worldwide reputation for producing high-quality students who start in the paper and allied industries after graduation. The department has graduated more than 1200 students since its inception. The disciplines of those students varies somewhat; most have graduated with degrees in paper science or paper engineering and in recent years, with emphasis in process or environmental engineering. The department offers a comprehensive curriculum providing a background in the pulp and paper industry. Educational emphasis is on mathematics, chemistry, and engineering as it specifically relates to the unit processes of our industry. Most graduates also participate in industry internships that further qualify them to step into the industry and become productive contributors for their employer immediately after hire.
One of the great features of education at Western Michigan University is the fact that the university has three pilot plant facilities. Today the pilot facilities consist of a complete recycling capability, a pilot paper machine, and an extensive pilot coating capability. Many students have the opportunity to work in these pilot facilities and gain hands-on experience.
Each of the paper schools in the U.S. have areas of particular strength and Western Michigan University's greatest area of excellence and experience lies in the coating field. Today the university has an area of distinction in barrier coating and the application of nanotechnology in coatings. Dr. Margaret Joyce, member of the faculty, is an industry leading researcher in the area of coatings and coating application methodology. The Paper Technology Foundation and its leadership have provided the university with a liaison to the industry which has allowed the university to update and maintain the relevance of its pilot facilities and its educational program.
Today the combination of industry, foundation, and alumni support has created an endowment approaching 6 million U.S. dollars. The foundation's endowment was doubled during Campaign 2000 under the leadership of Dick Wagner, President of the Foundation and Wes Smith, Campaign 2000 Chairman. The 6 million is composed of many separate endowments both restricted and unrestricted that are used to support students and to advance the mission of the Paper Technology Foundation.
The work of the Paper Technology Foundation is never complete. As we compete for the best and brightest students we have found that we must be more aggressive and proactive in recruiting. To that end, we have hired a full-time recruiter to produce effective recruiting materials that actually reach the attention of today’s students. This has increased our Foundation costs. Educational costs are actually escalating at a greater rate than the economy in general or even health care costs. As a result, we must continue to raise funds that will meet the tuition needs of our future students. Now is the time to establish those endowments; not waiting until we cannot be competitive in our scholarship offerings.
Our foundation leadership provides support in many other venues. Many foundation members provide cash, equipment and/or materials to the department. Others underwrite education and research programs and still others donate their time assisting in recruiting career counseling and development of new programs and curricula. On an individual level many member companies offer some of the most viable assistance by providing coops internships and summer employment for students. Providing these opportunities not only allows a student to finance their education but allows them to truly understand what their responsibilities will be when they enter the workplace on a full-time basis. The coop experience is often an extremely valuable tool for our member companies as well; it provides an opportunity to look at each student and assess their talents and capabilities and decide whether or not they would be a proper fit for employment in their organization.
Western Michigan University established the Parkview campus in 2002 where the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences now resides; it is indeed a world-class facility. The Chemical and Paper Engineering Department as well as the $20 million state-of-the-art pilot coater plant are part of that campus. These facilities assure that our students, supported by the foundation scholarship monies, are being provided a relevant education utilizing state-of-the-art lab, pilot and computer equipment in an environment conducive to a positive educational experience.