WASHINGTON, DC, June 12, 2006 – The Print Council, a national business development initiative created to help promote greater use of printing and print media, announced that Cal Poly State University’s Graphic Communication Department has become an Associate Member as an ‘educational partner’. As a new member of The Print Council, Cal Poly will work together with a growing list of leading organizations to encourage the interest and demand for printed materials. "Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department is extremely pleased to become a member of The Print Council. From our perspective as educators, the Council has the enormously important task of redefining print as a profession that addresses the communication needs of a modern and dynamic society,” commented Harvey Levenson, Ph.D., Department Head of Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department. “Prestigious educational institutions such as Cal Poly are in a unique position to impact the perception and use of print as a communication tool. Cal Poly extends programs not only to full time students, but also to business executives and practioners in the industry. In doing so, it enhances the knowledge of print innovation and, thus, the competitiveness of our industry to provide print as a viable medium of communication,” remarked Ben Cooper, executive director of The Print Council. “We look forward to tapping into Cal Poly’s extensive resources.” Members of The Print Council include commercial printers, paper manufacturers, press, ink and equipment manufacturers, publishers, industry associations, ad agencies, and public relations firms. Other educational institutions – CUNY, Kean University, and NYU – are also Associate Members. “Print has always been the most influential, pervasive, detailed, and informative form of mass communication, and it can continue to be. It is the responsibility of all of us in this profession to remind those wanting quality communication – for commerce, information, and entertainment – of this important fact. Through its support of print communication and the education of the profession's future leadership, and by supporting the profession's print providers and equipment vendors, Cal Poly is pleased to play a role with The Print Council in contributing to this endeavor,” added Levenson.