Sloan Foundation Renews Funding
for Paper Industry Center
-- Trustees Approve $1.3 million Grant For Paper Industry Business Studies --

ATLANTA, GA. -- November 24, 2003 -- the Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies (CPBIS), a Sloan Foundation Industry Studies Center (Sloan Center) at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), created in partnership with the Paper Industry in 2000 -- has been awarded its second three-year grant -- totaling 1.3 million -- from the Sloan Foundation -- to continue building an academic center that understands the paper industry.

Dr. Pat McCarthy, Chair of the GT School of Economics and CPBIS Director stated that "along with direct Paper Industry and GT support, this new grant provides critical funding necessary to help facilitate CPBIS's still developing education and research activities for the Center's second three year's of focused work". McCarthy further noted that "this generous award follows a $2.1 million grant from Sloan to help create CPBIS three years ago -- for which everyone affiliated with CPBIS greatly appreciates".

Sloan has collaborated with 21 different industries - including the Paper Industry -- and 17 universities in the U.S. to create a family of Sloan Centers. These highly innovative Industry Studies Centers collectively cover a wide area of the manufacturing and service sectors of the American economy.

According to Dr. Gail Pesyna, Co-Director of Sloan's Industry Studies Centers Program - "the objective of our Industry Studies Centers' Program is to work directly with industries and universities to create academic communities that understand industries and to encourage a direct approach to the companies and people of each industry for data and observations. At Sloan, we believe observation-based work by well informed academics, such as that at CPBIS, will, in the long run, lead to substantial practical contributions to the industries studied".

Dr. Jim McNutt, CPBIS Executive Director noted that "after less than three full years of operation, CPBIS has begun to gain a solid reputation within the industry as 'the paper industry think tank'. Since its inception in 2001, CPBIS has initiated 11 research projects that are collectively designed to enhance industry management skills, knowledge and performance by hundreds of millions of dollars across time - as well as contribute to the academic knowledge base and understanding of this vital industry sector".

McNutt further noted that - "the clear focus of CPBIS is to advance the competitive performance and financial success of the Paper Industry in the years ahead by bringing new resources, ideas and findings to the industry to focus on its particular problems and opportunities. To this end, the current portfolio of CPBIS research projects has engaged over sixty graduate students and thirty university researchers from GT and other North American universities in business, economics, and other social sciences skill areas that would not have previously focused their professional skills and insights on the Paper Industry".

Additionally, CPBIS has developed very close working relationships with a number of North American Institutions and Associations that focus on the Paper Industry and its issues and needs. According to Harry Seamans of Potlatch Corporation and currently President of the Paper Industry Management Association (PIMA) -- "one very special such relationship CPBIS has advanced in its first three year's of operations is the rapidly evolving Strategic Alliance with PIMA to collectively create a much needed and highly effective continuing education and training program for the paper industry which focuses on advancing the leadership and management skill sets of industry employees at all levels of the organization".

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About CPBIS: The Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies (CPBIS) is a globally recognized and industry-valued academic center, creating knowledge and tools that support paper industry decision-makers, and producing interdisciplinary graduates who contribute to the long-term success of the paper industry. The CPBIS is co-sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), and the Paper Industry.
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