ONE ON ONE WITH DR. CHIP TONKIN

Dr. Chip Tonkin is the Chair of the Department of Graphic Communications and Director of the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design & Graphics. With degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Graphic Communications, and Computer Science from Clemson University, he spent nearly 15 years in the packaging and printing industry at International Paper. Joining Clemson University to establish the Sonoco Institute, he seized the opportunity to foster collaboration between academic disciplines and industry partners. This endeavor aimed to drive innovative packaging development, expand student and faculty opportunities, and facilitate practical research in printed electronics, color management, and packaging workflow. His unique perspective stems from extensive practical experience and exposure to diverse markets and customer voices.

What challenges do companies face in finding talented individuals for graphic arts careers, and how can they be addressed?

The biggest challenge is convincing students that this industry can offer vibrant and exciting careers. In general, they already have it in their heads that it is old, stodgy, boring, and probably won’t be relevant for long anyway. Of course, the promise of high salaries can help with that perception, but it is more impactful if they can see and talk to people who have interesting and challenging roles. They also need clear potential career paths laid out and how roles could lead to opportunities in other parts of the supply chain.

The most effective tool in attracting college graduates is to have amazing internship programs—make it incredibly easy for them to say yes (housing has to be part of the package), and put together a dynamite experience that really exposes them to your business. And not just shadowing someone or attending meetings, but give them real duties and accountability, along with some ability to see how things work across departments.

What are the current industry trends and in-demand skills in graphic arts? How can educational institutions like Clemson University adapt their programs to meet these needs?

The best thing we can do is build problem-solving skills and adaptability. So, we need to instill a lot of the basics (color theory, print processes, software tools like Adobe and MS Office, and now probably effective AI utilization), but those are all just means to an end as technology will continue to develop at a rapid pace. Ideally, we need to help them understand how things used to work, get them comfortable trying new things, and teach them to evaluate impact and make good decisions.

What initiatives or strategies have you implemented to nurture young talent for the graphic arts field?

It is a never-ending battle for us to stay relevant, attract new students, and keep our industry partners highly engaged. We require our students to take two semesters away from school to do paid internships at companies all over the country, bring students to approximately 8-10 industry conferences and trade shows per year, and make great efforts to keep laboratory equipment and projects relevant and interesting to the students. We also bring in our alumni, who are young and relatable, to expose them to different career paths.

How do you balance teaching traditional graphic arts skills with emerging technologies amidst the prevalence of digital media?

It’s a challenge—there is so much new out there, and over time, we may have brought in too much. Students are spread too thin so it is hard to understand a particular process well enough so they can effectively develop problem-solving skills.

Our strategy for the last few years has been to narrow down the focus and technology utilization within our core classes so that problem-solving and critical thinking happen in those areas. And then we have an additional 18 credit hours in which they can specialize in a given area, so if there is a particular interest (social media, brand strategy, etc.), then they can pursue that.

What steps are taken to facilitate industry connections for students and notable partnerships that benefit students’ career development?

We believe this is one of the most important aspects of our program, and we facilitate (sometimes force) networking with the following activities:

» Intern Employer Day: We have approximately 50 companies set up tabletops on campus twice a year and meet with students. We mandate that our younger students go and talk with the companies, even if they are not looking for an internship yet. This event is much more valuable for our students than just getting them a job. The company representatives serve as ambassadors to this industry. (Link: https://www.clemson.edu/ business/departments/graphics/ internship-program/index.html)

» Senior Networking Event: The night before the internship fair, we have a casual social networking event with beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres for our graduating seniors and potential employers. It is another great way to expose them to a variety of potential careers in a setting that is much more comfortable and conducive to conversation.

» Numerous trips for students: conferences, trade shows, and other field trips to companies that give students a much broader view of the opportunities that are out there. This is becoming increasingly challenging to fund, and I think for us to get back to the pre-COVID level of engagement, we will need some assistance from companies to sponsor student travel.

What role does interdisciplinary education play in preparing students for rapid technological advancements?

I think having a broad view is incredibly important, and probably the biggest opportunities in the industry are related to making processes and projects work across all different parts of the supply chain. And certainly, we try to provide some foundation for this in our curriculum, with ¼ of the classes being general education, ¼ being business foundations (accounting, management, marketing, economics...), ¼ core graphic communications, and ¼ being largely self-directed with electives and specialty areas. In addition to subject matter, we also put them in group work situations frequently where they have to work together with creative, technical, and business-minded students. I do think we can do more here—I think it would be really interesting to have industry-driven/sponsored projects that are assigned to diverse groups of students (Clemson’s packaging science program does this, and it is very successful).