Cranston Print Works imprints its support for the
University of Rhode Island
(continued)
Shuster said the company recently saw this work first-hand.
"In the past, a few URI graduate students put together a
great marketing study related to high-end quilting fabrics.
They had some great suggestions. It was a win-win for
everybody," said Shuster who is known internationally for
his work on the American Manufacturing Trade Action
Coalition.
Based in the College of Human Science and Services, the TMD
department has seen tremendous growth. In the last five
years alone, enrollment has increased by about 20 percent
from 282 to 332 students and more are on the waiting list to
enroll in the undergraduate and graduate programs. URI is
one of only a few schools in the country to offer the B.S.
degree in Textiles Marketing in collaboration with an
accredited College of Business Administration.
"Our department has been working with Cranston Print Works
for decades," said Professor Linda Welters, who chairs the
department. "The company has been an integral part of many
of our efforts -- from their support of such endeavors as
our award-winning quilt documentation project and an annual
student fashion show to our historic textile gallery and
much more. Our students have enjoyed onsite visits and
internships to learn about the techniques the firm uses in
the design of its fabrics, and their chief executives have
taken the time to share insight into the international
issues facing the textiles industry to better prepare our
students for the market they will face. We are very
appreciative of this new endowment and their tremendous
support."
Welters, who lives in Wakefield, said that the TMD program
and its graduates have become known worldwide. "Some of our
graduates are curators in leading museums, fashion
designers, marketing executives and textiles scientists. Now
even more students hear about exciting things that our
alumni are doing and want to become a part of the field,"
she said.
Headquartered in Rhode Island, Cranston Print Works traces
its roots to 1824. Today it is a diversified, employee-owned
company that includes the finest-equipped textile printing
and finishing plant in the country. The company also
includes Bercen, Inc., which manufactures a wide variety of
specialty and functional chemical products that are used in
the paper making, paper coating and paper converting
industries, and the Cranston Trucking Company. Shown above:
Professor Linda Welters with Cranston Print Works' Chief
Executive Officer George Shuster.
Media Contact: Jhodi Redlich, 401-874-4500
URI Press Release
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