Clemson names facility at Sonoco Institute after Harpers

Clemson University has unveiled The Ronald & Katherine Harper Industry Collaboration Room on the top floor of the Sonoco Institute for Packaging Design and Graphics.

The Industry Collaboration Room was made possible by a $1.1 million gift from Ronald and Katherine Harper to Clemson’s graphic communications department. The Harpers are well known in the printing industry, having started the anilox manufacturing firm Harper Corporation of America in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1971.

‘The Harpers, Ron and Katherine, have helped shape, contribute and support our efforts at Clemson, particularly in graphic communications, for decades,’ said Sam Ingram, chairman of the graphic communications department. ‘And it is more than technology. Their belief in students, in education and their network, extending from the family out to the farthest reaches of the printing industry, have motivated us through their passion and expertise. Their gift will have a lasting mark on Clemson students – in their careers, the industry we share and the future.’

The Harpers began their collaboration with educational institutions nearly 20 years ago when The Harper Corporation became the first to participate in the Flexographic Technical Association’s Flexo in High Schools and Colleges Program. Today, high schools and colleges across the United States and Canada, and as far as Argentina, have flexo programs that provide hands-on training for students interested in a career in flexography.

‘The opportunities that the Harpers offer our students have an enormous impact on education and success after graduation,’ said Clemson president James F. Barker. ‘Our graphic communications program has one of the highest placement rates at the university. Many years it is 100 percent, and one of the reasons is the hands-on, real-world experience they have received as students in the studios and labs, and as interns in the industry.’

The graphic communications department provides students a technology-rich environment in an open laboratory setting. Industry partners provide numerous technical resources and updates as new or emerging technologies become available. This model of education partnering with industry has enabled program graduates to become immediate contributors to their employers.

The Sonoco Institute for Packaging Design and Graphics is located in the Harris A. Smith Building at Clemson. The institute serves as a hub of technology collaboration that brings faculty and students together.

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