College to Host International Graphic-Arts Education Conference

Educators, industry representatives and supporters of graphic-arts education − including "Benjamin Franklin" − will convene at Pennsylvania College of Technology from Sunday, July 30, through Friday, Aug. 4, for the 75th annual conference of the International Graphic Arts Education Association.

Franklin − as portrayed by award-winning actor Ralph Archbold, who serves as the official Ben Franklin for the City of Philadelphia − will greet conference participants with the opening address. Other key speakers include George Ryan, president of the Sewickley-based Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, and Frank Romano, a humorous and widely recognized expert in printing and publishing.

The conference will feature seminars with industry vendors and will provide hands-on activities involving Penn College's Printing and Publishing Technology and In-Plant Production staff and facilities.

In addition to the on-campus events, conference participants will tour local printing and publishing facilities and will, with their families and guests, visit area attractions like the Hiawatha Paddlewheeler and Knoebels Grove Amusement Resort in Elysburg.

Conference Chairman Dr. Mark R. Snyder, an assistant professor in the Graphic Communications Department at Clemson University and formerly a member of the Penn College faculty, said the College is ideally suited to host the conference.

"The Penn College campus is compact and flat, has excellent food service and residence halls and top-notch facilities for graphic communications," Dr. Snyder said. "The Printing and Publishing Technology program at Penn College has been a well-kept secret, and it can really benefit from the exposure this conference will provide."

Representing Penn College at the IGAEA conference will be Joseph A. Colaric, assistant professor of printing and publishing; Raymond J. Fischer Jr., pressroom production specialist; Dale A. Metzker, associate professor of printing and publishing; K. Park Williams, computer prepress specialist; and Dr. Daniel G. Wilson, associate professor of printing and publishing.

According to Dr. Snyder, others at Penn College who have put in considerable time and effort to ensure the conference's success are Harold C. Brown, manager of In-Plant Production; Steven P. Jacobson, director of Residence Life; Diana L. Kuhns, acting dean of the School of Integrated Studies; Timothy J. Mallery, coordinator of Residence Life; Linda J. Miller, hospitality sales manager; Karen Woland-Payne, director of the Children's Learning Center; Elliott J. Strickland Jr., director of Student Activities; and Linda Strous, coordinator of conference and guest services.

The IGAEA conference is organized around a theme of improving graphic arts education at all levels, and it serves primarily as a means of in-service education for teachers of graphic arts and related fields.

The annual IGAEA conference has been held in Pennsylvania seven times in the past 75 years, beginning in 1928 at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. It was last held in Pennsylvania in 1986 at California University of Pennsylvania.

The conferences traditionally have been held on college campuses as a means of showcasing educational programs. The participants also get to relive their college days and expose their children to a taste of college life by staying in residence halls, Dr. Snyder noted.