Greek alumnus of paper science receives
Distinguished Alumni Award

WMU alum Dr. Nick Triantafillopoulos with his wife,

Kim Bakkum. The couple met at WMU in the early 1990s.

Western Michigan University alumnus Dr. Nick Triantafillopoulos, an internationally recognized expert in paper coating process technologies and rheology and a native of Athens, Greece, is one of three recipients of WMU’s Alumni Association’s 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award.

WMU alumni Dr. Nick Triantafillopoulos, B.S.E. ’81, M.S. ‘85, Richard Koehn, B.A. ’63, and Charles Valluzzo, B.B.A. ‘62 are the 2008 recipients of the Alumni Association’s most prestigious honor. The annual award was established in 1963 to recognize alumni who have achieved a high level of success in their professions.

Triantafillopoulos received his first bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Athens in 1979. As he approached graduation, his academic focus began to shift to follow in his father’s footsteps, who worked in the paper industry. Identified through scholastic tests in the fourth grade as a gifted student, he was awarded scholarships to attend the prestigious Athens College high school in Greece and he excelled in his studies at the University of Athens.

In his final year at Athens, his research to identify a university with a good paper science program pointed him to WMU to earn a second bachelor’s and a master’s in paper science and engineering.

at left: Nick at commencements 

"I wanted to get a practical education as a graduate student, so I searched the Fulbright books and others about colleges that included rankings and details about the curriculum," he said. "WMU was on the top of the list and the paper science faculty then—Dr. Raymond James and Mr. Jim Kline—were the top academic researchers in their field."

Jolene Jackson, who retired from WMU in 2004 after 37 years of service as the director of international student services, met Triantafillopoulos in 1989 when he arrived on campus for orientation. She remembers being immediately impressed by his personality and communication skills.

"There was no doubt about it—Nick was focused, he was a leader," Jackson said. "Nick is not only very, very bright, but he is also very social, getting along well with people while still doing a good job on his academic work. He helped out in the office with new students and became a confidant for many. Nick also assumed the role of being the main student leader for four years of the international student orientation program that welcomes incoming international students and we worked closely on that. It was also very clear he wanted to make friends with American students, too, because he got involved in many other organizations on campus."

Having grown up in a hot, arid climate, Triantafillopoulos fondly remembers the contrasts he noted between his homeland and Michigan, even from the air, when he arrived in Kalamazoo.

"Kalamazoo was the first place I visited in the United States," he said. "Flying in, it was interesting to see single-family houses with A-frame roofs; in Greece, homes are multi-family square boxes with flat roofs, so that was new to me. It is also in Kalamazoo that I saw snow for the first time in my life. Coming to Kalamazoo and WMU was a great choice because the community is not too big and the university has a good enrollment, but it’s not huge."

Over the course of the five years that followed earning his WMU master’s degree, Triantafillopoulos worked as a research scientist, engineer and scientific advisor for several Midwest companies, while earning his doctorate in 1991 from the Institute of Paper Science and Technology in Atlanta, Georgia.

A return trip to Kalamazoo came about for Triantafillopoulos for the 1990-1991 academic year, when he was asked to serve as an assistant professor of paper and printing science and engineering. In addition to honing his teaching skills while on campus post-Ph.D., he met his wife, Kim Bakkum, a pianist and music pedagogy professional, who at the time was a graduate student in WMU’s music program.

"We met at the wedding of George Demedrakopoulous, who at the time was the associate dean of the college of arts," he said. "Kim was asked to play music for the ceremony and I ended up spending the entire reception getting to know her. We both enjoy classical music, so most of our dates were for performances at Miller Auditorium. We married in 2002 and she helped run a summer piano camp at WMU until 2005, so she also still has lots of connections on campus."

Triantafillopoulos continues to garner support for WMU’s Department of Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering & Imaging (PCI) through his work at Omnova Solutions Inc., where he signed on in 1992 as a senior research associate. In 2000, he was named director of multi-site Polymer Innovation, Analytical Solutions and New Product Development for Paper and Carpet. His responsibilities were increased in 2003, when he became Director of New Technologies for RohmNova, and in 2006 when he became the Director of Technology for Performance Chemicals Division.

His advocacy for WMU’s PCI has resulted in a multi-year annual grant worth $30,000 from the OMNOVA Solutions Foundation for graduate research projects ($23,000), an undergraduate scholarship competition ($2,000) and faculty development ($5,000). Additionally, Triantafillopoulos helped WMU secure two endowments of $25,000 each from the foundation to create two scholarships to provide financial assistance to WMU paper science and paper engineering undergraduate students.

In 2006, Triantafillopoulos was named an adjunct faculty member of WMU’s Department of Paper Engineering , Chemical Engineering and Imaging and has delivered two campus lectures and served as a coffer for publications. He also expects to serve on graduate committees as part of his adjunct responsibilities.

Triantafillopoulos holds four patents, has published three books and more than 65 articles, and is a technical editor of two professional journals. He is the recipient of numerous honors for his technical innovation and leadership in the paper industry, including a fellowship from the Technical Association of the Paper and Pulp Industry, a recognition given to only one percent of its 24,000 worldwide members.

The nomination for Triantafillopoulos’ Distinguished Alumni Award originated from the Department of Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Imaging, with support from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

"I was surprised to learn of the award because the Alumni Association typically recognizes people who are in their late fifties and sixties," said Triantafillopoulos, who is in his early fifties. "You never know how you are doing against a group of your peers until an outside body judges you based on a look at your resume and body of work. I am pleased and humbled to be the recipient of this prestigious award and thankful to the department and the college leadership for their nomination."

The 2008 award recipients will be honored at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner planned for Friday, Oct. 3. The reception begins at 6:30 p.m. and dinner follows at 7:15 p.m. in the Bernhard Center’s West Ballroom. Reservation information is available online at www.wmich.edu/alumni : click on "Events." Or, call (269) 387-8777.