Catawba Valley proud of comprehensive furniture programs
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, June 24, 2002
HICKORY, N.C. — Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains here, Catawba Valley Community College provides some of the most comprehensive instruction anywhere to students interested in the design and production of wood and upholstered furniture.
CVCC, a two-year school, offers associate degrees in two programs: furniture production technology, and design and product development. In addition to such classes as furniture drafting and computer-aided design, students take expository writing and professional research and reporting courses to improve their communications skills.
The production technology program includes such classes as industrial safety, motion and time study, and furniture cost analysis. The design and product development program has advanced furniture drafting, furniture sketching and furniture product development.
Other colleges and universities offer design and production classes, but none so specific and comprehensive as Catawba Valley, said Louis Putnam, who has been teaching classes here since 1974.
It takes five semesters to earn a degree, the fall and spring semesters for two years and a summer session in between. Course loads averages 15 hours a week in classroom and lab settings, with some extra time necessary to finish special projects. Many students work full time, Putnam said.
Design classes are held in the mornings so students can work in the afternoon and evening; production classes are held in the evenings. Classes are staggered, so it's possible to take part in both programs, but few try to handle such a workload, Putnam said.
This spring, one student earned dual degrees. George Mendoza came from the Philippines to learn the industry and help with his father's company back home, Mendco Development Corp., said D.L. Turbyfill Jr., chairman of the Furniture Technology Division.
In addition to Mendoza, the production program presented degrees last month to Keng Hmong Lo and Billy Butler. Lo is employed now, but is looking to pursue his new career, possibly by relocating, Putnam said. Butler's enrollment was sponsored by his employer, Henredon, where he is the lead person in the cabinet room.
Furniture manufacturers don't just assist their own workers, Turbyfill said, but help the school through the funding of equipment, supplies, books and scholarships. Locally based Mohawk Finishing Products provides money for a scholarship each year, he said, and the school offers a classroom for the company's three-day workshops.
Rhodes International, which makes conveyer systems, donated $37,000 worth of conveyer and finishing equipment.
Manufacturers also keep in contact with the college seeking new employees. Putnam said the college always gets more recruiting calls and job offers than it has graduates. Those students not already affiliated with a company through employment or sponsorship can find work readily.
Alisha Martin was one of four design students to receive a degree in May and already has been hired by Kincaid Furniture, said Putnam. She is now a design coordinator for Kincaid's showrooms and galleries.
Joining Martin and Mendoza at the graduation were Joshua Munday and Blair Barham. Munday is now at work in production for Southern Furniture in nearby Conover. An associate degree isn't the last stop for Barham, who will continue his education this fall at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Kendall, with an enrollment of more than 700, started in 1928 as a furniture design school, named after famed furniture designer David Wolcott Kendall. Today, the Grand Rapids area is known for industrial furniture and office cubicle design, contributing to the popularity of Kendall's industrial design major.
As at Catawba Valley, Kendall students have close contact with their instructors, with an average ratio of 11 students to each teacher. Both schools also bring in top designers and furniture people to offer insight and mentoring opportunities.
Putnam said Catawba graduates also have continued on to N.C. State's College of Design for a four-year degree.
CVCC has graduated in the neighborhood of 600 students since the furniture programs began in 1961. About twice that many have earned less-comprehensive certificates in upholstering and sewing, Turbyfill estimated.
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