Tag: tradition

  • FIT Gala: Honoring Terry Lundren

    About 1000 high-spirited people came together at the Marriott Marquis last week to help FIT honor Terry Lundgren, retiring CEO of Macy’s. It was our annual gala, and we shared it—and the $4.5 million in proceeds—with Terry’s alma mater, the University of Arizona. Terry is a legendary leader in the world of retail, and well…

  • Happy Lunar New Year!

    The other day, Professor Kam Mak’s latest U.S. Postal Service Lunar New Year stamp arrived on my desk. This is the 10th stamp he has designed for the USPS in its Lunar New Year series—and it is, as usual, brilliant. Kam was selected by the USPS in 2008 to design a 12-year series of stamps…

  • FIT Has Talent

    One of my favorite end-of-year traditions is the UCE of FIT talent show. Filled with laughter and high spirits, it brings together the entire community around an event that is nothing but fun. The performers represent every corner of the college: staff, administration, and faculty. And what talent! It is truly moving to see the…

  • Chalk! It Up

    At commencement last year, I spoke about the thousands of rush hour commuters on a Washington DC subway platform who never noticed, much less stopped, while world-famous violinist Joshua Bell played Bach. Yet here, on the Seventh Avenue sidewalk outside FIT—at almost any time of day or night—busy passersby are stopping, or at least slowing down, as they notice…

  • 2015 FIT Gala

    Our annual gala in early June was—once again—a wonderful success. Held at Cipriani on 42nd Street, it drew over 650 people, all good friends and supporters of FIT who, altogether, helped us to raise over $1.3 million. Our honorees—trustee Ed Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue—attracted bands of admirers whose enthusiasm boosted an already high level…