Media Contacts:
Emily Parker, 919/515-6529
Dr. Blanton Godfrey, 919/515/6500
Dr. Gilbert O'Neal , 434/296-5511 ext. 269

Nov. 12, 2002

College of Textiles Merges with Institute of Textile Technology

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The North Carolina State University College of Textiles and the Institute of Textile Technology (ITT) have agreed to create an alliance between the two institutions. "This alliance will strengthen the competitiveness of the textile manufacturing industry and truly represents the coming together of leading research and consulting organizations in the industry," said Allen Gant, Chairman of the Board of ITT and CEO of Glen Raven Mills.

The benefits of this new alliance for both institutions will be the consolidation of physical and intellectual resources on NC State's Centennial Campus. This will permit combining the College of Textiles' strong academic research program with ITT's applied and industry-directed research program, and allow coordination of research and academic programs and facilities.

Students in the ITT program will be taught at the College of Textiles and have full access to the college's faculty, staff and resources. NC State will provide the faculty for the majority of courses. Students accepted into College of Textiles graduate program will apply for acceptance into the ITT Fellows Program. ITT will select qualified students and continue to administer its master's degree program and provide guidance for the special thesis projects. The Fellows Program is not only a required number of classes, but also has complementary educational activities such as team-building experiences, group studies at textile facilities, problem-solving exercises, internships and public presentations.

Students who graduate from the ITT Fellows Program earning a master's degree will have management and leadership skills. The job-placement rate for these graduates has historically been 100 percent. ITT's first graduating class was in 1949 and, to date, 523 MS graduates have completed the program. All students are provided a tuition scholarship, non-service fellowship, and a research budget.

The College of Textiles at NC State is the leading academic and research institution for textiles in the world. It is dedicated to education, research, and extension and engagement. The college provides bachelor's degree programs in textile technology, textile engineering, textile and apparel management, textile chemistry, and a dual degree (BA and BS) with NC State's College of Design in art and design and textile technology. In addition, the college offers graduate degrees such as master of science and master of textiles and two doctorate degrees in fiber and polymer science and textile technology management. There are currently approximately 700 undergraduate students and 150 graduate students enrolled at the college.

The Institute of Textile Technology was founded in 1944 by textile industry leaders who saw a need for individual companies to join forces in collective support of a private educational and research institution. Today, ITT enjoys an international reputation for the high quality of its programs and its graduates, many occupying positions of leadership in industry, education, and research. The Institute was directed to conduct cooperative research, integrated with graduate research, as a means of helping the textile industry meet the challenges confronting it. They currently enroll 10-15 graduate students per year who earn a masters of science awarded by ITT.

By the two institutions coming together, "we are combining resources that will allow us to have research, facilities, labs, and a master's program competitive with anyone in the world," states Dr. Blanton Godfrey, dean of the College of Textiles. Dr. Gilbert O'Neal, president of ITT says, "The master's degree offered by ITT is already excellent, but it will become even better due to the facilities that our students will have access to at the College of Textiles." Roger Milliken, Chairman and CEO of Milliken & Company, a long time supporter of ITT says, "The American textile industry is the most modern, state-of-the-art industry in the world. This alliance will take the competitiveness of the industry to another level by combing resources of both institutions."

ITT will continue to operate as an independent non-profit organization. An ITT Fellows program will be established offering a master of science in textile technology awarded by the College of Textiles. ITT and NC State's College of Textiles will collaboratively pursue funding for industry-driven research from private, institutional, and government sources. Furthermore, the ITT Roger Milliken Textile Library, which has approximately 40,000 volumes and is one of the most comprehensive collections of English language textile information in the world, will be combined with the Burlington Textiles Library at the College of Textiles. The two organizations will also offer a full range of open-enrollment courses. This alliance, to be complete by July 2003, will truly be a collaborative effort between the two institutes for the betterment of the textile industry.

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