sub-series 4 - Diversity Council records, circa 2005-2011

The Diversity Council of FIT is an advisory group, increasing diversity awareness and assisting the President and the Affirmative Action Officer in matters concerning equity, inclusion, and diversity including racial and ethnic identity, age, cultural identity, religious and spiritual identity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical and mental ability, nationality, social and economic status, and political and ideological perspectives.

The mission of the Council is to help FIT students, faculty and staff fulfill their personal and professional potential by creating a climate of inclusion and equality within the FIT community. The Council fosters diverse relationships and gives a voice to diversity by cultivating an inclusive learning environment.

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.