subgroup SC.FITA.1 - Board of Trustees records

The Fashion Institute of Technology was the brainchild of the educator Mortimer C. Ritter and the menswear manufacturer Max Meyer. The school opened in 1944 on the top two floors of the High School of Needle Trades. By 1951, there was enough support for the institute as well as students enrolled to warrant a degree program at FIT. That year, the school was granted the right to award an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree. FIT received accreditation in 1957 and introduced a variety of courses, including Liberal Arts. During the 1960s, the curriculum grew to include interior design, advertising, and photography as subjects taught at the school. The following decade saw the school expanding to provide Bachelor's (in 1975) and Master's (1985) degree's, after years of lobbying State University Board of Education. FIT can boast about being the first to offer unique degrees in fields taught no where else in the U.S., such as Toy Design and Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design. There are 48 degree programs in total at FIT as of October 2020.

The Board of Trustees of the Fashion Institute of Technology establishes policies governing the college. Subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York, the Board appoints the college president, approves curricula, approves budgets, establishes tuition and fees within legal limits, and approves sites and facilities. It is responsible for the care, custody, control and management of the college’s physical facilities. The Board sets policies and delegates to the president or her designees the responsibility for implementing them, including personnel policies; the creation of divisions, departments, and administrative and academic positions; rules governing student conduct; the use of college facilities by outside organizations; the admission of students; and the preparation of the budget. The Board also has such other powers and duties as provided by New York law or prescribed by the SUNY Board of Trustees.

By State law, there are sixteen trustees: eight are appointed by the college’s local sponsor, through the New York City Panel for Educational Policy; seven are appointed by the governor, but must reside in New York City; and one, a student at the college, is elected by the other students of the college. Other than the student trustee, all trustees appointed after August 5, 2003 have seven-year terms; trustees appointed previously had nine-year terms. The student trustee serves for one year but has the same parliamentary privileges, including the right to vote, as the other members. The Board selects its chair from among its voting membership.The first Board of Trustees meeting was held on 1951 November 5 where all oaths of office were administered by Justice Charles D. Breitel, Justice of the Supreme Court, First Judicial District. Dr. Lawrence L. Jarvie served as the first and temporary chair and then Max Meyer served as the first elected chair. Also elected was Mortimer Ritter as President of the College. The first Secretary of the Board was Shirley Goodman. Minutes are produced as a result of each meeting. In the early days of the College, the Board met much more frequently, as often as once a month whereas now, the Board meets four (4) times per year.