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End-of-Year Awards Highlight Student and Faculty Achievements
Every year at this time, I say to whomever is listening how much I love the month of May. Almost every college president does. It’s the time when our students work lights up our corridors, exhibition halls and classrooms. And as commencement rapidly approaches, it is also the time when we celebrate not just student…
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FIT Honored by the Accessories Council Hall of Fame
Last week, FIT was honored by our good friends at the Accessories Council on the occasion of our 70th anniversary. In particular, they recognized the accomplishments of our Accessories Design and Jewelry Design programs. The Council is a national trade organization for the accessories industry that provides all kinds of support not only to its…
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A Gift of Gordon Parks
Last month, I received a five-volume boxed set of the collected works of Gordon Parks. It came out of the blue—as a gift from the publisher, Gerhard Steidl, and Dr. Thomas Schwarz, the president of SUNY/Purchase, which is where the Gordon Parks Foundation is housed. It is a magnificent collection—one that reflects the arc of…
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Foreign Language Poetry Recitation Competition
The Foreign Language Poetry Recitation Competition celebrated its 25th anniversary here at FIT this year in two days of recitations in November. In a way, its longevity is a surprise—it is counter-intuitive. Who would expect, after all, that a college like FIT, whose entire raison d’etre is to promote career education, would so enthusiastically support…
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FIT Goes to Washington
“Is this not cool?” Those were among First Lady Michelle Obama’s opening words when she addressed the crowd of high school students and famous fashion designers at a luncheon as part of her recent Fashion Education Workshop. I watched Mrs. Obama’s speech on my iPad as I traveled to Washington by train for the reception…