Dr. Robert A. Barnhardt, Professor and Former Dean of NCSU College of Textiles.

During the latter half of the 20th century the textile industry grew and prospered in the U.S. It was an industry that contributed greatly to the economic development of the country, particularly the Southeast. It had all the components necessary for success:

• Rich in an abundant supply of raw materials
• Rich in the capital needed to create and implement high technology
• Rich in serving the largest consumer market in the world for textile products
• Rich in its ability to convert fibers into textile products at a high level of efficiency and productivity
• Rich in a source of well-educated college graduates eager to partner with the industry

The relationship between the textile industry and those textile programs that focused on the science, engineering, and technology of the industry grew in importance and stature.

The core industry was homogeneous, centering on those processes involved in converting fibers into finished textile products. The parallel academic programs were also homogeneous. Most colleges and universities had programs in Textile Engineering (Greige Technology) and Textile Chemistry (Dyeing/Finishing). Later when asked to integrate the technological experiences of textile students with a few business courses, Textile Management programs evolved.

When an academic program is tied closely to an industry such as agriculture, paper, or textiles, the academic programs share in all of the traditional cycles experienced by businesses. Textile education is no exception. As the textile industry grew and prospered during the past half millennium, textile education tracked very well. One of the greatest difficulties throughout this time, however, has been the fact that a college education requires 4 to 5 years to complete. The education process demands exposure to the breadth of knowledge required of the whole person as well as the in-depth knowledge of a specialized program.

For 47 of the past 50 years, the lag time could be accommodated through slowly evolving curriculum changes, coupled with upper class electives for BS students. However, events of the past few years have impacted the industry at an unpredictable rate of change. Textile education at the collegiate level faces unprecedented challenges from industry that require a new paradigm for success.

As the industry competed for capital against other industries that traditionally yielded higher returns, the financial community lost its interest in investing in the textile and allied industries. Coupled with this has been the growth in the strength of the U.S. dollar against the currencies of our major trading partners. Based on an index of 100 in January 1997, the third quarter index for 2001 has grown to 127. To further complicate the situation there has been a general reduction of tariffs and quotas for textile and apparel products, leading to an all out assault on the industry.

There is no doubt that the industry has been wounded, but not mortally so. No one needs to fill space in this brief article with a litany of closed textile plants and job losses. The fact is, however, that the industry has been drastically reduced in size and is far less homogenous than previously described.

This leaves textile education in a quandary - how to respond and how to accelerate the general processes employed in the past. Textile educators have been proactive in their search for solutions. Historically they have been well connected to industry and its leaders and understood the need for specific changes. Practically all of the successful textile programs have completed studies of a strategic nature that clearly identified directions to consider.

Unfortunately strategies alone will not accomplish the objectives. The availability of sufficient resources and a commitment to developing implementation plans are equally important. Resources for specialized education have always been a problem, which historically the industry recognized. In fact, the industry, in more profitable times, has been generous in its support of textile programs. The times, however, have changed, and universities must be more creative in their search for funding.

The third component for success, the development of a viable operating plan for serving the industry as it is currently structured, has not evolved to date. A commitment to change our programs to meet the new demands of industry is by far the greatest challenge we face. Failure to do so quickly and with enthusiasm could be fatal.

Oases of hope exist. Clusters of courses with names such as Quick Response, International Trade, Supply Chain Management, and Textile Enterprise Integration have been developed. As in the past, these are courses designed to make the students' transition to industry more effective. In a way they are designed to plug any hole that has developed in a curriculum. However, the time for plugging holes has past. The time to develop entirely new textile curricula to meet the needs of today's industry is here.

One example exists in the College of Textiles at NC State. A group of faculty has been meeting with the Dean weekly to develop a Medical Textiles Curriculum that could well serve as a model for future programs in Textile Education. The new program will serve a limited number of students in a highly specialized, yet growing, segment of the market; a market that understands the meaning of value added. The new program, temporarily described as "Medical Textiles", has the challenge to serve the needs of the medical textiles industry, the medical device industry, and the healthcare sector. It consists of an interesting combination of three tracks: (1) Biotextiles, (2) Medical Textiles, and (3) Healthcare Management.

The type of thinking that has surfaced during the development of this program could be cloned many times for curricula that may be described as International Textile Operations, Textile Product Development, or Global Soft Goods Marketing. The challenge to Textile Educators is to meet the needs of an industry that is under great duress; an industry that is highly fragmented and no longer homogeneous.

It is not an easy task, since we know from history that seldom have we eliminated a program or major when we've introduced a new program. In the difficult academic world of today, scarce resources must be spent wisely, which may force the needed decisions for our long term viability and value. We can not afford fragmentation, yet at the same time the need for our core curricula may be waning.

This is not the time to shrink from the challenges ahead. Textile programs can remain a valued asset for the industry. As in the past, these programs must reflect the needs of the industry - needs that are changing continuously. The half-life of specialized curricula will be shortened. The emerging new curricula must be flexible enough to change, sometimes dramatically, on a semester-by-semester basis. New courses must be continuously under development.

Those academic programs designed with the proper vision, those that have the necessary critical mass resources, and those programs that have an effective implementation plan will prosper and grow in strength. The strategies are in place. Implementation must be swift.