University of Northern Iowa

Building the Next Generation of Graphic Arts Professionals.

One of Iowa's three state universities, UNI enjoys national recognition for its high educational standards in the 120 majors offered. U.S. News and World Report has ranked UNI second among Midwest public universities for 10 consecutive years. One of the majors offered is Graphic Communications, and the University's Graphic Communications program graduates an average of 15-20 students annually.

In early 2007, MetaCommunications donated 25 licenses for the Job Manager module of Workgroups to the school, where it is being used in the Estimating and Management course. In this course, students learn about costing methods for digital and traditional graphic imaging, as well as current management best practices for print production. As part of the course, students produce and present a comprehensive research project of estimating and management practices at a local printing company as well as identify career opportunities available in estimating and management within the printing industry.

"We believe strongly in helping to develop the next generation of graphic arts professionals," said Bob Long, Executive Vice President at MetaCommunications. "Jim Volgarino, Graphic Communications instructor at the University of Northern Iowa, has an excellent program in place at the University, and we mutually determined that giving students access to Job Manager would be a valuable addition to the program."

"In a highly competitive industry such as printing, it is critical to have good business management practices in place," said Volgarino. "By using Job Manager in the Estimating and Management course, we are able to provide our students with access to an important tool that will help them understand the costing dynamics of a production environment through access to real-time job data. This not only facilitates the learning process, but makes our students more marketable when they graduate."

By using Workgroups we are able to provide our students with access to an important tool that will help them understand the costing dynamics of a production environment through access to real-time job data.
Jim Volgarino, Graphic Communications Instructor

Mike Wilson, MetaCommunications' Vice President of Partner Sales Development, spent time with the current Estimating and Management class and staff discussing Job Manager and how it fits into the production environment. He says, "It is exciting to spend time with the bright, talented individuals enrolled in the UNI program and to see how quickly they grasp the value that Job Manager brings to a business in terms of both productivity and profitability. These students will surely make a valuable contribution to the industry upon graduation, and MetaCommunications is proud to be able to participate in the educational process by providing tools such as Job Manager for the classroom."

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