Alabama Southern
National Network for Pulp & Paper Technology Training
Created under a grant from the National Science Foundation
Creating a National Advanced Technology
Center and Unique Curriculum:
- A NSF Success Story and Roadmap
Michael J. Kocurek, PhD
Director, NPT2, Alabama Southern
mjkocurek@ascc.edu
The Story
• How Alabama Southern, a small community
college in southwest Alabama, was able to form a
partnership with Industry, and other community
colleges and universities, to receive the largest NSF
educational grant ever awarded to any paper
industry college program, to create a National
Advanced Technology Center, and to develop the
largest and most unique curriculum of paper
industry technical courses in the world, to serve
both students and incumbent industry workers.
The Story
• The National Science Foundation described it as a
"national model for technical training" and
awarded Alabama Southern a $6.7 million grant as
the lead institution in the National Center for Pulp
and Paper Technology Training and to promote
similar partnerships nationwide.
The Roadmap For Success
• Creating the Vision to meet a Need
• Securing Partners
• The NSF Grant Proposal
• Timing and Luck
The Vision
• Effective leaders are needed to define a major
vision. They develop and clearly communicate the
vision and strategy, inspiring and energizing others
to commit.
• Former ASCC President John Johnson is credited
with the original vision that eventually led to a NSF
Grant to create a National Network for Pulp &
Paper Technical Training(NPT2) as a National
Advanced Technology Center at Alabama Southern.
• Visionary leaders are not necessarily Champions
Key Components of the Vision
Leading to the NSF Grant
• The concept of a first of its kind multi craft,
interdisciplinary curriculum academic program
in Paper and Chemical Technology.
• Partnering with Industry to create scholarships
and internships.
• Building a national network around the core six
community colleges that offered associate
degrees in pulp & paper technology, and then
expanding the network.
National Partners
Lower Columbia CC
University of Washington
Itasca CC
Kennebec CC
U of Minnesota
University of Maine
Fox Valley CC
UW- Stevens Point
Dabney Lancaster
Auburn
Hayward CC
Auburn
Alabama Southern
Auburn
National Partners
• Arranged Workforce Development to be included
as a platform in the Agenda 2020 Summit – a
formal partnership created in 1994 between the
US Paper Industry and the Department of Energy
to create a roadmap of research an development
for the future. The Summit was held in 2004.
• The National Network for Pulp & Paper Technical
Training (NPT2) was the cornerstone Workforce
Development program coming out of the Agenda
2020 Summit.
National Partners
• Active support and partnering from the
Industry’s largest P&P technical society
(TAPPI).
• Hosted a mini conference with Industry and
partner Community Colleges and Universities.
• Auburn University and TAPPI guided early
contact with National Science Foundation
Program Manager(s).
Bringing Local Partners on Board
• Alabama Southern Industry Alliance (13 mills)
Eight of the advanced technology manufacturers in
Southwest Alabama committed approximately 40
scholarships and internships to recruit top students
into a pipeline to the region's best jobs.
• This Scholarships-Internships-Jobs partnership was
pioneered in 1995 between Alabama Southern and
CIBA Specialty Chemicals. Since then, the
American Chemical Society has described the
partnership as a "workforce development model
for the nation.”
National Science Foundation Proposal
• Create a multi craft Paper and Chemical Degree
Program, with multiple skill sets in addition to General
Studies and P&P technology, including Maintenance,
Process Control, Safety, Environmental, Mechanical,
Electrical, and Statistics courses.
• Build a national skills set.
• Add additional Community Colleges to the Network.
• Create technical e-learning courses for students and
incumbent workers.
National Science Foundation Proposal
• Planning Grant
• NPT2 Grant
 $3M in 2006
 $3M in 2009

Total of $6.7 million dollars
The Alabama Southern
National Network For Pulp & Paper Technical Training
Curriculum
COURSES
LECTURES (40 MINUTES)
CONTENT LEVEL SCALE
(CAN BE VARIED IN LENGTH) (1 = INTRODUCTORY; 2 = INTERMEDIATE; 3 = ADVANCED)
PULP MILL TECHNOLOGY
(26 LECTURES)
PAPER MILL TECHNOLOGY
(33 LECTURES)
WET END CHEMISTRY
(31 LECTURES)
COATING
(26 LECTURES)
CHEMICAL RECOVERY
(12 LECTURES)
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
(10 LECTURES)
TISSUE TECHNOLOGY
(24 LECTURES)
PULP MILL TESTING LABS
(17 LABS)
PAPER & BOARD TESTING LABS
(22 LABS)
RECYCLING (FALL 2014)
(35 LECTURES)
PAPER MACHINE OPTIMIZATION (56 LECTURES)
INTRODUCTORY
INTRODUCTORY
INTRODUCTORY
INTRODUCTORY
INTRODUCTORY
INTRODUCTORY
INTRODUCTORY
INTRODUCTORY
INTRODUCTORY
INTRODUCTORY
INTERMEDIATE
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.3)
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.0)
(1.0)
(1.2)
(2.0)
Who are the Audiences for these P&P Courses
and Program?
• On Campus Students at ASCC
• Distance Learning Students
– No credit, self instruction
– Credit, certificate or degree from ASCC
• Industry In-house Training Programs
– Self administered, or by HR
– Administered by local community colleges
The Alabama Southern National Network For
Pulp & Paper Technical Training
Curriculum Features
• Lecture Revisions to keep content up to date. All
users will be invited to provide input for these
updates or improvements. This is a unique feature
that will maintain the value of the courses.
• Customizable to shorter lecture sizes, and/or to
lower content levels by deleting, or making
optional, specific lectures, and/or slides.
The Alabama Southern National Network For
Pulp & Paper Technical Training
Curriculum Features
• Customizable to each mill’s process & products, at
relatively low cost. The technology being used
allows customized content (mill personnel,
processes, and products) to be inserted into and/or
between individual lectures. Customized content
remains proprietary.
NPT2 Web Site
&
e – Learning
Course Catalog
Sample lectures
are available.
Contact
mwynn@ascc.edu
Questions or Comments
• Creating the Vision to meet a Need
• Securing Partners
• The NSF Grant Proposal
• Creating and/or Administering the Courses
• Course Features /Recording Technology
Alabama Southern
National Network for Pulp & Paper Technology Training
Created under a grant from the National Science Foundation
Creating a National Advanced Technology
Center and Unique Curriculum:
- A NSF Success Story and Roadmap
Michael J. Kocurek, PhD
Director, NPT2, Alabama Southern
mjkocurek@ascc.edu