ACUP is Almost Here

The Association of College and University Printers (ACUP) will make its first venture into the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” May 19-23, when its 48th annual conference takes place in Minneapolis.

Hosted by Minnesota State University, Mankato and Gustavus Adolphus College, ACUP will feature a full agenda of educational sessions, as well as a vendor exhibit area and plenty of time to network with fellow higher-ed in-plant managers. The group will also tour the Print & Mail Operations of Minnesota State University, Mankato. Two keynote speakers will offer some interesting perspectives:

• In a session provocatively titled “If Printers Ruled the World,” Tom de Ranitz, founder of Forte Consulting, will discuss what organizational leaders can learn from graphic art professionals.
• Ken Macro, soon to take over as head of the Graphic Communication Department at California Polytechnic State University, will return to ACUP to share the challenges graphic communications programs face and advise in-plants how to stay valuable within the academic mission.

In addition, Ray Chambers, CEO of the Chambers Management Group, will lead an in-depth workshop about Strategic Print Management, covering hands-on decision making, recognizing and addressing management problems, and evaluating results. He will also discuss measuring what you manage, benchmarking, controlling costs, justifying equipment and telling your story

Other ACUP sessions will focus on employee motivation, best practices, institutional branding, copier fleet management, digital bindery solutions, Web-to-print software, mail basics and copyright. New this year, members who attend specific sessions will accumulate credits toward a new ACUP certification. Details will be announced at the conference.

For the first time this year, ACUP will hold an awards ceremony to honor the winners of its brand new awards program. It consists of two parts: The ACUP Production Awards, in which printed pieces will be judged for quality, craftsmanship and design in five categories; and the ACUP Impression Awards, honoring accomplishments for collaboration with other units, sustainable activities, difficult deadlines and more.

Find out all the details and register for ACUP here.