Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: News and Opinion

On March 31, 2009, Clemson University saw the birth of a great new resource for graphic communications and packaging science majors.

The Harris A. Smith Building, The Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics at Clemson, opened its doors just before noon on Tuesday, March 31, after several speakers conveyed the benefits of the new building and took time to thank the project's donors.

The $7 million new building was largely funded by industry sponsors and it offers a wide range of professional equipment, lecture rooms and conference areas.

The new building is located across the road from Lee Hall, and sits next to the Flour Daniel Building. Visitors will immediately notice the progressive architecture of the structure. The building makes good use of natural light without excessive cooling expenses, employing integrated sun screens on south-facing sides.

In operation, the building will house graphic communications classes such as GC 446: Inks and Substrates and packaging science instruction such as PKGSC 220: Creative Drawing + CAD. Besides lecture areas and hands on learning for Clemson students, the building will be able to support training courses for industry professionals through a three-year paid membership program, starting at $30,000.

Funding for the institute came from industry and personal gifts such as $3.7 million in funding and pledges from Harris A. Smith, former leader of Smith Container Corp., and $2.5 million from Sonoco Products Co. of Hartsville.

Chip Tonkin, Director of the institute, emphasizes that the goal of the project is to allow networking and collaboration between Clemson's academic programs and industry research. In a nutshell, working alongside the in-depth research that will take place at the institute will provide students with an invaluable resource as they transition from students to industry professionals.

The various conference rooms, many of which resemble those found in a professional office building rather than a classroom, will allow for many projects to operate within the building without stepping on people's toes. The usefulness that the institute will provide students seeking internships within the industry was explained in an information brochure distributed on opening day. According to the brochure, the institute is scheduled to host biannual gatherings of industry employers to meet and interview students for future employment and internships.

Continued...

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