After serving as the Fashion Institute of Technology’s (FIT) President for nearly 26 years, Dr. Joyce Brown will be stepping down at the end of the 2024–2025 academic school year.

Appointed in 1998, Dr. Brown is the first female and first African American president of FIT.

Dr. Brown announces her resignation in the video below. She comments: 

“Serving as FIT’s president has been my honor and privilege. Much has been accomplished over the past two decades, including establishing FIT as a higher education community that is committed to inclusivity, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology. I will spend the next year continuing to move the institution forward while working to find FIT’s next leader who will build on our strengths and take the college to even greater heights.”

FIT’s Board of Trustees Chair Robin Burns-McNeill says:  

“Dr. Joyce Brown’s vision has transformed FIT, and her tenure has been one of the most significant periods of leadership in the college’s history. Her commitment to technology, innovation, and DEI modernized the college, while also deepening its commitment to our mission and to graduate success. The college will have the benefit of her strong leadership over the next year as we embark on a search for the next visionary to become the president of FIT.”

FIT, a State University of New York (SUNY) school, is known throughout the beauty industry for the select group of highly successful graduates who complete its Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing Management (CFMM) program each year. Read about the Class of ’24’s Capstone presentation on accessible beauty.

Highlights of Dr. Brown’s Presidency

During During her tenure, FIT awarded 82,389 degrees and certificates, with the number of bachelor’s degrees climbing by 348%.

Dr. Brown created 33 new degree and credit certificate programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, both in-person and online. She also expanded degree programs in the areas of Computer Animation and Interactive Media, Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management, Fashion Design, Footwear and Accessories Design, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Toy Design.

Dr. Brown established the Social Justice Venter at FIT, an initiative focused on increasing the number of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in roles across the creative industries. She opened the Center for Innovation at FIT, an off-campus center for faculty to pursue research, as well as the DTech Lab, FIT’s on-campus innovation lab merging design thinking with emerging technologies.

In addition, FIT recently built its first new academic building on its campus in over 40 years, a state-of-the-art learning center located at 220 West 28th Street.  

Photos above: FIT’s new building via ‘FIT’s New Academic Building‘ / Dr. Joyce Brown

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