Engineering Dean Larry Benefield says the four-year National Science Foundation grant was made through NSF's Advanced Technological Education National Center of Excellence.

The grant will be distributed through the National Network for Pulp and Paper Technology Training, a university and community college partnership committed to the advancement of pulp, paper and allied industries. The network focuses on the technical training and educational needs of the nation's pulp and paper industry.

"Housing the state of Alabama's only pulp and paper engineering program, it is Auburn University's central duty to meet the technological and educational needs of the pulp and paper industry," said Benefield. "This grant helps support those needs by advancing education and producing technologically advanced, high-paying jobs for the state."

Charter members of the technology training program include Auburn University and Alabama Southern Community College in Thomasville, Ala., whose partnership makes up the network's national center.

Other partnerships include Mid-State Technical College in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., and the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point; Kennebec Community College in Fairfield, Maine, and the University of Maine; and Lower Columbia College in Longview, Wash., and the University of Washington.

"The potential impact of these training programs on the overall financial performance of the pulp and paper industry is enormous," says Harry Cullinan, director of Auburn's PPREC and president of the Pulp and Paper Education Research Alliance, a coalition of universities with programs for the advancement of the pulp and paper industry. "In support of this program, Auburn will provide advice and education in areas such as curriculum development, laboratory deployment and the recruitment of students in engineering and science programs related to the pulp, paper and allied industries.

"We've been working on this grant for a number of years, yet there is still a lot more work to be done," Cullinan added. "In the future, we hope to add approximately 12 community colleges to the program, with at least three or four from Alabama."

Additional financial support totaling more than $500,000 is being provided by the following companies: Alabama River, Boise, Domtar, Georgia-Pacific, Longview Fibre, Madison Paper, Nexfor Fraser, SAPPI, and Stora Enso North America.