Goal 4

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Cultivate an inclusive and collaborative community of lifelong learners where access, connection, curiosity, risk-taking, and respect are valued.

By promoting opportunities to connect and engage, FIT will inspire and support a culture of excellence, innovation, cultural sensitivity, and civility. All members of our community will be encouraged to take risks and embrace challenges in order to generate inquisitiveness, progressive thinking, and cutting-edge research.

Strategy

FIT will meet students and alumni where they are and enhance their connection to FIT as an academic and professional resource by providing access to a lifelong learning community of innovators, thereby enabling the FIT network to thrive on a local and global scale.

Context

As technological advancements in business, media, and pedagogical delivery affect how those in the FIT community interact with one another, student needs and expectations will change, requiring greater emphasis on soft skills, customized curricular journeys, and more personalized support.

Initiatives

A) Quick Wins (6–12 months)

  • Institutionalize training in intercultural competencies for the FIT community to advance intercultural understanding, civility, and global awareness so that the perspectives of all constituencies are viewed as equally relevant.
  • Create an institutionalized dialogue among administration, faculty, staff, students, and alumni centered on the identification and implementation of the FIT community’s core values and commitment to diversity.
  • Promote collaboration and transdisciplinary work campuswide through the online listing of faculty profiles, which will provide a revealing window into areas of faculty expertise and interest and help facilitate connection for students, faculty, and those seeking partnerships with FIT.
  • Establish a centralized on-campus jobs registry designed to enable students and hiring managers in the departments that are seeking student employees to see positions at a glance.

B) Innovation Imperatives (1–3 years)

  • Host an annual on-campus jobs fair that would enable students to meet campus hiring managers to learn about employment opportunities within FIT departments and programs with the goal of enhancing a student’s FIT experience.
  • Establish a Student Research and Design Co-op for students that leverages FIT’s innovation assets by designing a virtual and physical hub where undergrads and grads can connect.
  • Expand the FIT recruitment efforts to achieve a student body reflective of the diversity of New York City.

C) Blue Sky (3–5 years)

  • Develop a culture of meaningful campus-work experiences for students; provide training and support for supervisors, giving them the ability to develop learning outcomes and recruit, hire, train, and evaluate students so that student campus employment becomes a high-impact practice.
  • Offer post-graduate services and develop resources/fellowships available to all FIT graduates that can assist them with professional advancement.
  • Identify and secure a physical space on or near campus to serve as an alumni networking, collaboration, discussion, and meeting center. 

Think Tank Members

Co-Chairs

Brian Fallon, Interim Director of Faculty Development and CET
Tardis Johnson, Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success

Members

Sarah Mullins, Assistant Professor, Fashion—Footwear and Accessories
Matthew Petrunia, Associate Professor, English and Communication Studies
Joseph Plutz, Director, Office of Disability Services, FIT-ABLE