EskoArtwork has announced it has received recognition into Michigan State University’s Frank S. Kedzie Society, a prestigious donor recognition group. Named for the eighth president of MSU, the Kedzie Society is given to individuals, corporations, or foundations that bestow a significant donation to the school.

During the summer of 2011, EskoArtwork donated 30 seats of ArtiosCAD, Visualizer, and Studio. A long-time supporter of MSU, this most recent gift of state-of-the-art package development and design software complements an earlier donation of ArtiosCAD software to accompany a Kongsberg digital finishing table the school owned.

EskoArtwork was publicly recognized for its donation during an MSU Consumer Packaged Goods Packaging Design Seminar, held on October 13. Dr. Frank Fear, Sr. Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (which houses the School of Packaging) and Dr. Doug Estry, Associate Provost, presented a cut crystal memento to Susie Stitzel, EskoArtwork Solution Manager. Stitzel also took part in the day’s seminar program featuring experts from the CPG industry.

“EskoArtwork is honored to receive this award, which celebrates our commitment to both Michigan State University as well as our commitment to education within the packaging industry,” says Ms. Stitzel. “We see this as a win-win for all parties involved. MSU students benefit from using the most advanced packaging design and production software available, industry benefits by having tomorrow’s workforce skilled in using the leading and up-to-date technology on the market, and EskoArtwork benefits from having future industry personnel familiar with the assets of our software.”

“As a leader in packaging education, The School of Packaging at MSU strives to provide undergraduate and graduate education and research to serve students, employers, the packaging discipline and the community as a whole,” says Dennis Young, Specialist, School of Packaging. “The EskoArtwork gift is a significant contribution to these efforts. The software is now part of three courses, and is used by students for projects in other courses as well. The integrated system is also being used in several research projects to push the limits of our understanding and knowledge about packaging. The School sees this as a continuing and expanding application area supporting innovative and responsible packaging development.”

MSU’s School of Packaging is renowned in the industry, with more than half of all graduates of packaging programs employed in the U.S. coming from the School of Packaging. EskoArtwork, which employs approximately 1050 people worldwide, is a global supplier of integrated products for packaging, sign and display finishing, commercial printing and professional publishing. Headquartered in Gent, Belgium, it has R&D and manufacturing facilities in five European countries, the United States, China and India.