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A.S. in Printing Technology / B.S. in Printing Management / Students /
Faculty & Staff / Facilities & Equipment / Alumni Employers
The students and faculty have good reason to proudly boast
of being the Printing University in the Mid-Atlantic States.
For the past fifteen years the WVU Tech Printing Department has received
regional and national recognition as an outstanding center for
a quality printing education.
WVU of Tech has offered printing
technology classes since the 1920s, and is now in its 56th year
of offering degrees that prepare graduates for employment in the
printing industry. As a "plus two" program, two degrees
are offered: a two year associate degree in Printing Technology
offered through the Community and Technical College, and a four
year bachelor degree in Printing Management offered through the
College of Business, Humanities, and Sciences. All students enter
into the two-year Printing Technology program. After graduating
with the associate degree, students may choose to continue into
the Printing Management program to receive the bachelor degree
after another two years of course work. A minor in Graphic Design
is offered through the Art Department.
The associate degree Printing Technology curriculum covers
basic printing technology processes such as offset lithography,
gravure, flexography, and screen printing as well as camera, layout
and stripping, desktop publishing, electronic pre-press, and bindery.
The program offers concentrations in color reproduction, web press,
and screen printing. The presswork area utilizes both sheetfed
and web printing presses. Computer applications and electronic
pre-press methods are stressed throughout the program. Upon completion
of the required courses, the students specialize for one semester
in a concentrated area of their choosing in order to improve proficiency
in one or more skill areas.
The Printing Technology Program was reviewed in 1996-97 and was
again designated as a "Program of Excellence" by the
Trustees of the State College and University Systems of West Virginia
Program Review Committee. The Printing Technology and Printing
Management programs were the only two programs at Tech to receive
this designation this year. The Printing Technology Program is
the only two-year degree program in the state ever to receive
the "Program of Excellence" designation three times.
(The last time that a "Program of Excellence" review
was done was in 1989-90.) The department was the recipient of
the "Governor's Award for Outstanding Vocational Education
in the State of West Virginia" in 1982 and again in 1989.
In 1985 it received the Secretary's Award given by the U.S. Department
of Education for one of the top ten vocational educational programs
in the nation. In 1991, the Tech Printing Technology Program was
named as one of the "Peaks of Excellence" in the WV
State College system.
The
plus-two bachelor degree Printing Management program was reviewed
in 1989-90 and was designated as a "Program of Excellence"
by the State College System of West Virginia Board of Directors
Program Review Committee. We received that designation again for
1996-97 from the Trustees of the State College and University
Systems of West Virginia. Printing Management at Tech emphasizes
the management of printing companies as well as production. The
student takes courses in business, sciences, mathematics, and
humanities in addition to the technical printing courses. Again,
the use of computers is emphasized in courses such as Printing
Estimating and Multimedia Presentations.
The graduate of this program is qualified to enter the printing
industry on a managerial or junior executive level. This degree
provides the student an education broad enough to adapt to the
changing world in which they will live, and specific enough to
allow them to be successful in the printing industry.
Enrollment
in the Printing programs is currently over 80 students from all
over the United States, and several foreign countries. The retention
rate of students going into the sophomore year of the program
is approximately 80%. About three quarters of the associate degree
graduates continue into the plus-two Printing Management program.
Other graduates obtain jobs in various parts of the printing industry.
Students who maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher are
invited to join the Pi Alpha Psi Honorary Printing Fraternity. Industry
opportunities are abundant for the printing management students
desiring summer internships, co-op work programs, and full-time
job placement. A network of over 600 printing alumni serves as
prospective employers for the graduate, and many companies interview
graduates on-campus every year.
The
department has been able to attract quality faculty members with
advanced degrees in their major and years of industrial/technical
experience. In addition to their commitment to classroom instruction,
the faculty provide a number of services to industry. Each of
the faculty members remains active in the industry by conducting
educational seminars and presenting industry workshops. In addition,
Tech faculty have written articles for regional and national publications.
As proof of the quality of a Tech education, two of our graduates
have published textbooks that are used in colleges and industry
across the nation.
A
1988 renovation gave the WVU Tech Printing Department almost 18,000
total square feet of floor space occupying two floors in the Engineering
Labs Building. In the summer of 1994, the screen printing lab was moved to a new
lab area upstairs to make room for the new flexographic printing lab downstairs.
The department receives
donations that continue to keep the laboratory facility on the
cutting edge of technology. Donations
of special note include two four-unit Community offset newspaper
web presses given to the department by Goss International. The basic computer lab has 15 iMac computers.
The color lab has 12 Macintosh G3 and G4 computers, and several iMacs.
The Valassis Research Room has five Macintosh computers, available to students
all day on weekdays. All computers have high-speed internet access.
A G4 file server has been added, and we have two imagesetters
and four laserwriters on-line with all computers. An Epson 5000
color proofing printer was added in September, 2000. These are
being utilized to enhance student knowledge and application of
current computer technology in the printing industry, including
art and design, scanning, page layout, color separation, imagesetting,
cost estimating, and multimedia production.
The department has a variety of equipment that is used by students
in both programs and is constantly updated as technology changes
within the industry. The equipment includes computers, process
cameras, laser scanners, automated film processors, flexographic
printing equipment, the Goss four-unit newspaper web presses, sheetfed
lithographic
presses, multiple color screen presses, and bindery facilities.
The following
is a partial list of Companies and Institutions currently employing
printing Alumni from West Virginia University Institute of Technology's
Printing Program. We are sorry if we left your company out. Please
e-mail us if we did indeed forget someone!
Latest update: July 7, 2004
