SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department, in conjunction with International Printing Week, recently hosted Printing Week 2004, a two-day program of lectures and panel discussions, as well as a banquet at which a $10,000 donation to the university’s Graphic Communication Institute was announced. At the event, experts discussed the latest trends and developments in the graphic communication field. Talks focusing on design technology and packaging were given by such professionals as Ian Hole, director for market development of Esko Graphics; Thomas Reiss, owner and creative director of Kraftwerk Design; Pamela Lee, principal of Web Feet Integrated Marketing; Lisa Austin, marketing manager of Xitron; and Kevin Kelly, president and chief executive officer of Emerald Packaging. Penny Osmond, assistant professor at Cal Poly, said, “It was an invaluable experience for our students to hear industry experts talk on current issues so important to our industry.” The speakers, joined by Doug Speer, general manager of Poor Richard’s Press, participated in a Panel of Professionals, who told students how to prepare for entry into the graphic communication industry and how to market themselves during job searches. A Professional Press Panel featured Hal Hinderliter, industry consultant and author and representative of American Printer magazine; Bill Esler, editor and publisher of Graphic Communications World; David Lindsay, editor in chief of Printing Journal; and Noel Jeffrey, former executive editor of Print On Demand magazine. Panelists talked about current issues related to management, technology, trends, new developments, the future of the industry, international issues and the changing role of personnel. The Industry Associations Panel included Kim Herren, senior vice president, strategic planning and marketing for DST Output and representative of the Electronic Document Systems Foundation; Susan Kinney, president of Castle Press and representative of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation; Mark Hoover, president of Bayshore Press and representative of the National Association of Printing Leadership; Dan Nelson, executive director of Printing Industries of Northern California; and Thomas Brown, vice president and general manager of The Irwin-Hodson Co. and representative of the Pacific Printing and Imaging Association. The Industry Associations Panel talked about issues closely related to companies within the industry and their changing demographics and cultures, the impact of the economy on the graphic communication industry -- nationally and regionally -- and services to help companies survive in the 21st century. The International Printing Week banquet featured James Kersten, executive vice president, outsourcing, Moore Wallace North America Inc., as the keynote speaker. He spoke about the process of consolidation in the graphic arts industry and the recent Donnelley Moore Wallace consolidation. Kersten and a team of Moore Wallace staff members presented a $10,000 check to Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Institute, marking the fourth consecutive year the company has awarded $10,000 to the institute. The Graphic Communication Institute is the research, testing, product-evaluation, and seminar and workshop arm of the Graphic Communication Department. Moore Wallace was honored at the banquet, as were Xeikon America for its donation of a Xeikon DCP 50 digital printing press and Xitron for contributing a Xenith Extreme Workflow RIP to the department. Founded in 1946, Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department maintains an enrollment of 300 students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in graphic communication with concentrations in printing and imaging management, electronic publishing and imaging, design reproduction technology, and individualized courses of study. The department also offers a minor that provides students in other disciplines the opportunity to participate in a core of courses providing entry-level background in printing and publishing. The department’s newest program is an MBA with an emphasis on document systems management, offered through the university’s Orfalea College of Business. Cal Poly is considered a very competitive university, and graphic communication students are typically selected from among the top 10 to 15 percent of their high school or junior college. With more than 33,000 square feet of modern laboratories, Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department represents one of the best-known programs of its kind in the nation and is the largest in the western United States. It has one of the largest industry-support programs in graphic arts education, with the vast majority of its equipment and facilities having been donated by industry.