By SCBIZ Staff

CLEMSON -- Clemson University announced last week plans to break ground soon on a new 28,000-square-foot building that will house the packaging science and graphic communications departments and be named for one of the school’s major donors: Harris A. Smith, former chairman, president and CEO of Smith Container Corp. The announcement came at the Oct. 5 board of trustees meeting.

Smith recently sold the 97-year-old, family-owned rigid packaging company, headquartered in Atlanta, to a global packaging company. He decided to invest in higher education to support the packaging industry his family helped define.

Smith has made gifts and pledges totaling $3.5 million to Clemson, and Sonoco has contributed $2.5 million for the academic building, which will house the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics and related programs. The three-level building will include studios, labs and offices that will serve up to 500 students every year.

The new building is one of seven facility projects the trustees discussed and approved. The others are a multi-story Academic Success Center sponsored by the Class of 1956; conversion of Earle Hall to three floors of labs and offices; a new 40,000-square-foot Innovation Center in the Advanced Materials Research Park in Anderson County to provide space for incubator company research; improvements to Kinard laboratory; additions to Rhodes Hall annex to include bioengineering labs, offices and classrooms; and improvements and additions to West Zone to accommodate coach offices, team meeting rooms and weight training, conditioning and equipment areas.

External funding of university research for 2006-07 totaled $141.4 million, the highest in the school’s history, according to Chris Przirembel, vice president for research and economic development.

“This total reflects outstanding achievement by faculty and staff across the university,” Przirembel said. “This is not just a number; it’s a commitment to excellence and to the involvement of our outstanding researchers in solving the world’s problems.”

The College of Engineering and Science leads the university in sponsored research, but Przirembel said there is an increase in research activity—and thus in external funding for research—across all five colleges and other funded areas.

Clemson is focusing its research efforts in eight critical emphasis areas that match the university’s strengths and South Carolina’s economic activity.