-
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity at FIT
With our increased awareness of the need to make campus life more welcoming for international students, I was delighted to learn that our Center for Excellence in Teaching had tackled this topic for its 2015-2016 student-faculty roundtable discussions. These popular events, funded by the Student Faculty Corporation, have been taking place for the past seven…
-
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…
-
Brooke Shields Visits FIT
A week before commencement, Brooke Shields—one of our commencement speakers this year—visited FIT. I wanted to tell you about this because her visit was almost as exhilarating as her commencement speech. Usually our commencement speakers are content to learn about the college from the materials we send them. But not Ms. Shields. She requested a…
-
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…
-
Remembering Oscar de la Renta
What can one possibly add to the abundance of tributes to Oscar de la Renta following his death last month? He was, as WWD declared on its front page, “an American master” and there was not a person who knew him—personally or professionally—who did not laud the elegance, sophistication and romantic beauty of his designs,…