Support the Future Ready Initiative
Help prepare the next generation of paper science and engineering leaders by investing in the spaces where students learn, test and create.
Preparing Students for What’s Next
For more than 70 years, NC State’s Paper Science and Engineering program has prepared students for successful careers through hands-on learning and a close partnership with the pulp, paper and allied industries.
Today, those industries are changing. Advances in sustainable packaging, hygiene products, digital process control and other technologies are creating new opportunities — and changing what students need to know when they enter the workforce.
The Future Ready Initiative is a $3 million to $5 million fundraising effort to modernize the classrooms, laboratories, equipment and student spaces that support Paper Science and Engineering. The initiative is a key part of the program’s five-year strategic plan, developed by the Pulp and Paper Advisory Board, Department of Forest Biomaterials and Paper Science and Engineering program.
The last major investment in these facilities came in 1993, when the Robertson Wing addition relocated the pilot paper machine and added new classrooms and offices. Future Ready builds on that legacy by creating spaces that reflect how students learn and how the industry operates today.
“Beyond the community, the hands-on learning environment really set paper science apart for me. Being able to physically interact with the coursework helped me become a stronger problem solver and better prepared to tackle real-world engineering challenges.”
Caroline Youngblood ’26
Paper Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering
Investing in the Future of Paper Science
The Future Ready Initiative focuses on three priorities:
Technical and Lab Modernization
Modernized labs will give students experience with the technologies and systems used in today’s pulp and paper industry.
- Process Control Lab of Excellence: Upgrade simulators and sensors so students can gain practical experience with the digital systems used in modern mills.
- Chemistry and testing labs: Renovate undergraduate spaces to support student learning, research and quality testing while accommodating program growth.
Pilot Plant and Sustainable Technology
Upgrades to the pilot plant will expand the materials and technologies students can explore, including fiber-based packaging and hygiene products.
- The “Wolfpack Baby” rebuild: Upgrade the pilot paper machine to produce multi-ply liner used in shipping boxes as well as tissue, towel and hygiene grades.
- Fiber thermoforming: Add Kiefel KFT equipment that will allow students to experiment with molded fiber packaging and other alternatives to single-use plastics while supporting both Paper Science and Engineering and Sustainable Materials and Technology.
Facilities, Accessibility and the Student Experience
Improvements throughout Biltmore Hall and Robertson Wing will better support current students, welcome prospective students and families, and share the story of the program.
- Student spaces: Renovate the lower rotunda and meeting spaces to create more opportunities for students to study, collaborate and connect.
- Recruitment: Transform the rotunda into a welcoming entry point that introduces prospective students to the possibilities of a Paper Science and Engineering degree.
- Legacy: Create a more prominent showcase for the alumni, friends and companies whose support has shaped the program throughout its history.
A Partnership for the Future
Naming Opportunities
Alumni, friends and industry partners can support Future Ready through naming opportunities in classrooms, laboratories and meeting spaces.
Unlike endowed naming opportunities, gifts associated with these spaces will be used as current-use funds. This means funds raised through a naming opportunity can be directed to improvements in the laboratory, classroom or meeting space rather than invested in an endowment for future use.
All naming opportunities are subject to Board of Governors approval.
Chemistry Lab
Room 2226 | 1,280 square feet
Primary Classroom
Room 2221 | 820 square feet
Wet Lab Recycle
Room 1227 | 658 square feet
Process Control Lab
Room 1234 | 652 square feet
Paper Testing Lab
Room 1228A | 1,042 square feet
Pulp and Paper Making Lab
Room 1205
1,423 square feet
Pulp Testing Lab
Room 1118 | 516 square feet
Pulping Lab
Room 1106 | 399 square feet
Meeting Room
Room 3110
292 square feet
Completed Namings
Thank you to the alumni and friends who have already taken steps to support the Paper Science and Engineering program.
Additional naming opportunities are available throughout the Future Ready spaces.
Contact Us
If you have questions about the Future Ready Initiative or would like to discuss naming opportunities, contact:
C. Allen Sanders
[email protected]
205-777-9550
Bart Nicholson
[email protected]
803-370-0850
Funds are collected and managed by the North Carolina Natural Resources Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax ID: 56-0653350. Donors will receive an official receipt for their gift.