January 6, 2006
Contact: Harvey Levenson
Cal Poly Graphic Communication Department
(805) 756-1108
‘Reunion of the Decades’ To Highlight 60 Years Of Graphic Communication Education at Cal Poly
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- The year 2006 marks the 60th anniversary of Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department, and several celebrations are in the making.
A highlight will be the Reunion of the Decades on Oct. 6 and 7, 2006. The event will reunite friends, colleagues, faculty and industry partners from 60 years of printing and graphic communication education at the university, said Harvey Levenson, department head. “These are the people who made the department what it is today, and the celebration honors them as part of the extended Graphic Communication family.”
The Reunion of the Decades will start with a reception Friday night, Oct. 6, followed on Saturday morning with a tour of the Graphic Communication Department and on Saturday afternoon with a Santa Maria-style barbecue.
“We wanted to give people an opportunity to become reacquainted with the Cal Poly campus, the Graphic Communication Department, and with each other, as well as give attendees a chance to enjoy the many attractions of the Central Coast,” Levenson said.
The event is being spearheaded by a group of alumni: Malcolm Keif, Red Heesch, and Sharon Eucce, with support from Patti Mangan and Brian Schott. Sharon Eucce, chair of the Reunion Committee said, “This GrC reunion gives us a chance to come back to Cal Poly and see what’s become of the place where we started our careers. It’s a chance to reconnect with old friends, and there will probably people you know in the industry that you didn’t know were GrC grads. Now you’ve got a great reason to come back to San Luis Obispo!”
The year will be celebrated with additional events, including a $2.5 million fund drive and endowment titled, “Addressing Today and Preparing for Tomorrow: Partners in Education-- Cal Poly and the Graphic Communication Industry.” “The fund drive will secure the department’s continued growth and development,” Levenson said.
The annual conference of the International Graphic Arts Education Association (IGAEA) titled, “Surfing the Digital Wave,” will also be part of the celebration and will be held on campus from July 30 to Aug. 3, 2006.
Registration and hotel information for Reunion of the Decades is available on a Web site developed for the event, www.grcalumni.org/reunion. For more information, including questions about individual and corporate sponsorships, email: reunion@grcalumni.org.
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About Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department
Cal Poly is ranked as one of the best comprehensive universities
in the western United States. 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, packaging graphics,
and individualized study. Through Cal Poly’s Orfalea College
of Business, the department also offers an MBA with a focus on document
systems management. The department has over 3,000 alumni, many of
whom are influential in the printing, publishing, imaging and related
fields.
With over 33,000 square feet of modern laboratories, Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department represents one of the nation’s best-known and largest programs of its kind in the western United States. It has one of the largest industry endowment and support programs in graphic arts education, with the vast majority of its equipment and facilities having been donated by industry.
The Graphic Communication faculty is internationally known as professors, scholars, researchers, consultants and authors. The department is accredited through the Accrediting Council for Collegiate Graphic Communications (ACCGC).
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