Letter from the President
Institute of Textile Technology
April, 2006

            The Institute of Textile Technology is proudly completing its 3rd year in cooperation with North Carolina State University (NCSU) to provide education, applied research, and services to the Textile Industry. Though things have changed profoundly since our days in Charlottesville, we have strived to maintain the “Tradition of Excellence” established over our 62 years of existence. We believe that we are upholding this tradition in a manner that would make our founders proud as well. We have adapted to a changing economic environment while still fulfilling the educational and research objectives envisioned by industry leaders in 1944.

            During our three years in Raleigh, we have restructured our graduate program, created and implemented the ITT/NCSU Textile and Material Research Consortium, and rebuilt our industry consulting services into a profitable, internationally recognized entity.

            At the end of this academic year, we will have graduated 17 ITT Fellows at NCSU and advanced an additional 10 students to their second year of studies and research. The academic program established is significantly more demanding than the traditional graduate program at NCSU, requiring an additional 9 hours in academic course work, seminar attendance, participation in industry intersessions, and completion of industry driven applied research. Our fellows have developed a reputation as hardworking, professional individuals and are highly recruited by NCSU faculty for research projects. The curriculum, research, and outside work uniquely provide both knowledge and experience to allow the ITT Fellows to immediately become productive leaders in the companies into which they are recruited.

            Through the Consortium, membership dues are combined to provide meaningful, industry driven research. Our Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has been restructured and member companies are actively participating in both Committee and Subcommittee activities. This process assures that research funds are targeted towards industry needs and that the results are immediately disseminated. Our Intellectual Property Committee monitors our research program to provide every opportunity for member companies to benefit from research results. At the completion of this year, over 25 research projects will have been completed by ITT Fellows, ITT staff, and NCSU faculty. Presently, over 85 percent of our membership dues are allocated to research activities.

W. Gilbert O'Neal, Ph.D, P.E.