100 Years of Printing Excellence: ADM Program Celebrates Centennial Anniversary and Unveils Renovated Facilities Thanks to Generous Donation from Local Philanthropist Janet Steiner

On Friday, April 21, Riverside City College (RCC) hosted an open house event to celebrate the Applied Digital Media (ADM) Printing program's centennial anniversary and showcase the program's renovated facilities made possible by a recent million-dollar gift from Janet Steiner, a local printing philanthropist.

The event was attended by students, industry guests, Riverside Community College District (RCCD) Chancellor Wolde-Ab Isaac, Ph.D., RCCD Trustees Bill Hedrick and Mary Figueroa, RCC Interim President FeRita Carter, Ph.D., and other college leaders, with Patrick Scullin, the Faculty Director of ADM and Printing as emcee.

The open house featured two tours of the Tech B classrooms and the print shop. The first tour, from 9:00 to 11:00 am, was exclusive to students. The second tour, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, was open to attendees and industry guests. Following the tours, a ceremony and advisory meeting were held from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the Tech A Courtyard. The event culminated with a ribbon-cutting commemoration and photo opportunity with the donor and RCCD/RCC leaders.

RCC's ADM Printing program has a long history of excellence in graphic communication education, starting in 1921. The program is the only California community college-based program accredited by PrintEd, dedicated to all aspects of commercial printing, with accreditation in five additional key industry areas in commercial printing and graphic design. Many local printing experts have been trained through the program at RCC over the past 100 years.

The open house event was made possible by Janet Steiner, a local leader in the commercial printing industry in the region. Steiner had a 36-year career, presiding over Thoro Packaging, a company her father and mother founded in 1967. In discussing her donation, she shared,

“I believe we need to exponentially leverage the opportunity in front of us. Having state-of-the-art printing equipment at Riverside City College and the Thoro Packaging Printing Scholarship, sponsored by Heidelberg USA, gives the college and RCCD a leg up for the trades. Traditional college is not for everyone, but learning skills to ensure you have an equitable future should be. This equipment will bring the trades back to life and act as a stepping-stone in building a strong Inland Empire workforce. It is critical that RCCD leadership and those running the printing program raise awareness of this technology to maximize the opportunity. All students from colleges in the area, and businesses with print needs, should be able to take advantage of this Inland Empire gold mine.”  

RCC was identified as the beneficiary of her gift, specifically the College's ADM and Printing program, with the help of Lou Caron, President of the Printing Industry Association of Southern California. RCC leaders worked with Jan Steiner for almost 3 years on this donation. On January 11, the ADM and Printing program took another big step forward with a special delivery from Heidelberg, North America, which eventually led to the open house experienced today.

Heidelberg USA, the world-wide leading partner and provider of solutions and services for the print media industry, established the Thoro Packaging Printing Scholarship at Riverside City College. The scholarship will provide $5,000 per year for the next five years to benefit students pursuing a degree in commercial printing from the College's ADM and Printing program. Mr. Scullin shared,

“With the introduction of this new scholarship program, we have opened the door to a brighter future for countless students. The gift of education is one of the most precious and valuable things we can give, and we are filled with thankfulness for the opportunity to provide it. By investing in our students’ education, we are investing in the future of our society, creating a positive impact that will ripple out for generations to come.”

In a “One More Thing,” Steve Jobs moment, Steiner announced she worked a deal with Zund America, a second generation company manufacturing in Alstatten Switzerland. She has secured a Zund S3 M800 Digital Cutting Table for the print lab. Martin Thornton, representing Zund America, was present to share remarks. The table is valued at one hundred thousand dollars, and it was a pleasant surprise to end the event.

Overall, the open house event was a success. It celebrated the ADM Printing program's century-long legacy of excellence in graphic communication education, showcased the program's renovated facilities, and highlighted the generous donations from Janet Steiner and Heidelberg USA. With these donations, the program is well-positioned to continue training future printing industry professionals for many years to come.

Dr. Carter, a leader who always looks toward promise and gives honor where honor is due shared,

“The event provided a glimpse into the program's state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, which will undoubtedly continue to produce printing industry experts for generations to come. This is the beginning of a new 100-year era. Thank you to Ms. Jan Steiner and Heidelberg, USA. And thank you to our very own Patrick Scullin and team who day in and day out work with our students to create an amazing print program."

Marie Thermidor, Community Relations Specialist who worked closely with Jan Steiner on acquiring this donation, shared heartfelt thanks from the Riverside Community College Foundation.

“On behalf of RCCD Foundation, we appreciate and embrace Mrs. Steiner's commitment to improving the lives of our students at RCCD. It is donors like Jan, with her love and passion for serving, who make a difference in our community. We thank her for choosing RCC! We thank Mrs. Jan Stein again for being someone we can count on!”

There is much to be thankful for. What a momentous day for Riverside City College.

If you are interested in RCC's ADM and Printing program, classes are registering now. Go to www.rcc.edu/tomorrow for more information on getting started.