Discussion

By HARVEY LEVENSON on Oct 02, 2024

Cary and Mark, great interview.

I posted the following on WTT daily news but thought that your magazine viewers might enjoy this slice of TAGA history.
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The year was 1984.

I was on the board of directors of TAGA and we met to discuss how to increase TAGA membership. Founded in 1949, TAGA reached its apex in the 1970s with about 2000 members. However, membership was decreasing, likely due to graphic arts research shifting from research organizations to proprietary corporate research.

The question was: How do we reverse decreasing TAGA membership? I offered four words: “Open membership to students.” The lights went on. The rest is history.

I became the first TAGA student chapter chair. At the time I was Department Head of Graphic Communication at Cal Poly where we formed the first TAGA student chapter. The student chapter idea was also supported by TAGA board member Professor Bob Chung of RIT, where the second chapter was formed. Other schools quickly followed. The cornerstone of the chapters became the student chapter journals, presented as part of a competition at the annual TAGA conferences. This demonstrated the students’ understanding of research and technology, and highlighted schools as the source of the future industry leaders.

The comments of Adam Dewitz of WTT and you, Mark, in the original WTT article struck an emotional cord in the expressions of how students are now the focus and core of the TAGA organization. This instills confidence that our industry’s future leadership is being well prepared via TAGA.

In am gratified to having been part of the start of the student chapters. Thank you PRINTING United Alliance for including TAGA in the PIA merger, and thank you WhatTheyThink for now overseeing this group and the newly renamed TAGA NextGen Conference.