On May 16th, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) unveiled expanded programs and other enhancements within the newly-named School of Print Media. RIT is a world leader in graphic communication education and applied research. Formerly known as the School of Printing Management and Sciences, the School of Print Media (SPM) is responding changes in the publishing and printing industry, due mainly to advances in digital technology. Enhancements include new-media publishing and graphic-media curricula at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. These programs have led to a steady climb in the school’s enrollment since 1999, including a 14 percent increase during the 2001-02 academic year. All graphic media research and industry education programs at RIT will now be administered by the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, under the umbrella of the RIT Printing Industry Center, sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Barbara Pellow, the Frank E. Gannett Professor of Integrated Publishing Sciences, will become the Administrative Chair of SPM, replacing Frank Romano on July 1. Frank will continue as the Roger K. Fawcett Distinguished Professor of Digital Publishing. Barbara Pellow and Dr. Joan Stone, dean of RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences explain these changes. Q & A with RIT's Barbara Pellow and Dr. Joan Stone WTT: Barbara, some big things have been happening at RIT lately. Tell us about The School of Print Media (SPM). Barbara Pellow: The degree from RIT's School of Print Media is internationally recognized as a mark of excellence and represents the highest quality education in the graphic communications industry. We offer students superior academic programs, respected and accessible faculty, topnotch facilities, and industry connections that provide world-class educations. There are state of the art labs for traditional print technology (lithography, flexography and gravure) and digital printing, color image processing, color management and measurement, workflow and operations management, electronic publishing, variable data and data base solutions, digital photography and scanning. We are building state of the art print finishing capability tightly integrated with print manufacturing processes. In addition, more emphasis is going to be placed on large format print technologies. We will continue to insure that our students leave with benchmark skills in areas essential to the industry. Together with our colleagues from the RIT College of Business, we were recently named the Printing Industry Center by the Sloan Foundation. This means that our faculty and graduate students will examine critical issues related to the growth and evolution of the printing and publishing market. The knowledge gained from these benchmark research projects will be integrated into the curriculum to advance the skills of our students. WTT: Has the SPM replaced the School of Printing Management and Sciences and how is the SPM related to the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at RIT? Dr. Joan Stone: The School of Print Media is one of the 6 colleges within RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, which also offers professional programs in photography, film and animation, design, fine arts and crafts. The School of Print Media is responding to fundamental changes in the printing and publishing industry, due mainly to advances in digital technology. WTT: What will be the focus of SPM curriculum? Will that focus be different on the graduate level? Barbara Pellow: We have two primary undergraduate programs at in the School of Print Media as well as graduate program. Students can get a Bachelors of Science in either Graphic Media or New Media or a Master of Science in Print Media. Today's evolving printing company is an information factory where the distinction is blurred between printing publishing and all forms of media distribution. We insure that our students are prepared to manage the production of print media, as well as provide the skill base so that they can deal with multi-media, digital asset management, books on demand and web publishing. Our Graphic Media and Masters Program more heavily emphasize print technology and workflow. Our New Media Program is run in combination with the School of Information Technology and School of Design. Students in this program focus more heavily on the electronic distribution of information. All of these programs offer a core curriculum with a wealth of electives so that students have the opportunity to develop essential skills for a world of cross media communications. We evaluate the curriculum annually and add new electives and update core class content based on advances in technology. WTT: What is the RIT Printing Industry Center? How does it related to SPM and the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences? Dr. Joan Stone: RIT was selected last January as the 13th university to host a Sloan Industry Center. The Sloan Foundation chooses an academic community for an Industry Center based on its expertise in a particular discipline. Clearly RIT demonstrated that we are an educational leader in our understanding of the printing and publishing industry. The objective of the center is to generate a pipeline of data and observations that flows between researchers and industry representatives. The resulting analysis helps to target what customers want and how companies can meet those demands. As part of activity, graduate students staff and faculty members are working side by side to assess industry adoption of new media technologies, improvements in operational methods, and cost reduction techniques for the print industry. The results of the research will be built into the educational curriculum so that our students have the most up to date industry knowledge. We will also disseminate our findings to the Industry through seminars and customized educational programs offered through the Printing Industry Center. WTT: Give your thoughts about Frank Romano’s role at RIT in the past and what can we expect from the "great one" in the future. Barbara Pellow: Frank Romano and I have worked closely over the past year. He has had a major impact on what the RIT School of Print Media is today. The good news is that Frank will continue to play a critical role at RIT as the Roger K. Fawcett Distinguished Professor and have more time to dedicate to both the students and the industry with less administrative burden. He will also be very active in the Printing Industry Center programs and research initiatives. For me personally, he has been both a friend and mentor since I started in the industry and I look forward to our continued working relationship. WTT: A 14% increase in admissions - that is clearly exciting. What do you attribute this to and how many people are enrolled in RIT’s print media-related programs? Dr. Joan Stone: 1800 of the 2400 students in the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences are pursuing careers in the graphic arts world... print, photography and design. Our objective is to maintain our enrollment in the Print Media program and continue our focus on attracting the best and brightest students into RIT. WTT: Heidelberg recently donated some printing equipment to RIT and there are many suppliers who contribute to RIT. How important is vendor support to RIT's success and tell us about these partners? Barbara Pellow: This winter, the Heidelberg Web Press Laboratory will begin operation on the RIT campus. The laboratory will house a Heidelberg Sunday 2000 web press, featuring state of the art web offset technology. The new facility will offer the best possible environment for advanced research and education. Students from undergraduate and graduate programs will have access to coursework in web offset printing, digital workflow for web offset production, color management, measurement, & control, and printing materials & processes. They will also participate in research programs and publishing projects that make use of the new Sunday 2000 web offset facility. Interdisciplinary courses teaming students from the schools of Print Media, Design, Photography, and Information Technology, will result in a steady stream of web offset publications that will demonstrate the capabilities of the process to deliver innovative products and services. We believe strongly that students learn best when they are pushing technology to do things that have not been done in quite the same way before. The new web press will also be used to print Reporter magazine, a weekly color publication entirely written and produced by students from across the university. In addition to educational opportunities for students and the industry, RIT has an extensive program in support of applied research with industry. Manufacturers of various printing consumables relay on RIT's applied research programs for on-going support of product development, performance analysis, and customer support programs. The new Heidelberg Web Press Laboratory will provide the opportunity for extending the scope of these applied research programs. Leveraging specific expertise from across the university in areas such as imaging & color science, engineering, and materials science, the new laboratory will provide a world-class platform for advanced studies of primary relevance today. Specific areas of interest include color management systems, computer integrated manufacturing, as well as on-going research into the vast array of printing consumables such as paper, ink, plates, blankets, and rollers. Alliances with the leading suppliers in the industry have significant benefit to both parties. The generous donations from our industry partners mean that all of the lab facilities that we have in place for students remain on the cutting edge of technology. The supplier has the opportunity to work closely with us on applied research. We have several alliances in place that cut across all facets of the printing and publishing industry for both traditional and digital technologies. WTT: How can our members find out more about the new programs? Barbara Pellow: The biggest suggestion I have for companies today that want to get engaged with RIT, is bring our students into your organizations as co-ops. Each student has a requirement of two co-op experiences. It is a terrific opportunity for employers to get the benefit of a fresh perspective from an individual with new ideas. It is also a way for our students to gain good real world perspective. We enjoy having people visit us on campus and tour our facilities to see how we prepare our students for a future in the world of graphic and new media. WhatTheyThink.com’s members can also benefit by involving themselves in the industry education seminars available through the Printing Industry Center. Programs are available at RIT or can be customized and delivered on-site. Topics include Introductory Graphic Arts, Print Production Technologies, Photographic Technologies, Imaging Software, Digital Prepress and Workflow, and Imaging Sciences and Technologies. More About Barbara Pellow Barbara A. Pellow Gannett Professor for Printing and Publishing Rochester Institute of Technology A digital printing and publishing pioneer, Barbara Pellow accepted an appointment at Rochester Institute of Technology in July of 2001. She assumed the role of Gannett chair in integrated publishing sciences in RIT’s School of Printing Management and Sciences (SPMS). As Gannett chair, Barb focuses on the relationship between traditional paper-based media and emerging electronic new media. She has also provided leadership in strategic management and operations of the publishing industry and is responsible for the development of new curriculum. Effective July 1 2002, Pellow will assume the position of administrative chair. Before joining RIT, Barb was the as Senior Vice President of Marketing at IKON Office Solutions. She had responsibility for developing integrated business and marketing strategies for all of IKON's product and service offerings and the e-commerce and e-service initiatives. She also coordinated their global branding campaign designed to position the company as a leader in delivering the products, technology and information systems that help businesses communicate -- in the office, outsourcing and high-volume, print-on-demand production environments. Prior to her arrival at IKON, Pellow was Group Director for the On Demand Printing and Publishing Service at CAP Ventures, one of the industry's leading digital document management consulting firms. In this capacity, Pellow worked with a number of different suppliers and users of digital document management technology in the development of strategic plans for utilization of emerging technologies. Preceding that, Pellow was Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for Indigo and Vice President and General Manager for Xerox's U.S. Document Production Systems unit. Barb played a major role at Xerox in the market introduction of the DocuTech product line. Pellow started her business career in sales and marketing at IBM. Pellow was educated at Michigan Technological University, where she received a B.S. degree in Business Administration