Posted on Tue, May 08, 2012 @ 08:22 AM
In today’s ultra-competitive business world, networking is an invaluable skill. It is also one that many young professionals do not have ample opportunity to develop while they’re busy pursuing a degree.
Here at LIM College, we know that creating meaningful connections can make all the difference when it comes to landing a coveted internship or full-time job, so we make it a priority to offer students as many chances as possible to hone their networking skills.
On April 30, our Center for Career Development, in conjunction with the Office of Student Life, held the first annual “LIM’s Night Out” at AnTalia restaurant. At this simulated business event, undergraduate and MBA students mixed and mingled with professionals from the worlds of fashion, cosmetics, publishing and entertainment.
Participating students enjoyed “mocktails” then went on to dine with representatives from top companies, including Chanel, Tiffany & Co., Victoria's Secret, Bloomingdale’s, Lord & Taylor and Macy's. The students received a list of attendees in advance so they could perform background research on who they were about to meet and be prepared to engage them in relevant and memorable conversations. At the end of the night, students took home goody bags with items donated by Saks Fifth Avenue and other industry partners.
The evening was a great success, with 94% of students who responded to a post-event survey indicating that they would recommend the event to a classmate or colleague. I would like to thank the executives who came out that night to support our students, as well as Mariela Torres, Diane Freeman and Stephanie Licata in the Center for Career Development, and Michael Palladino, Director of Student Life, for their hard work in creating yet another unique opportunity for our students to enhance their professional skills and abilities.
Posted on Thu, Apr 05, 2012 @ 09:15 AM
Two of the most significant events on the LIM College calendar will take place this month. First, on April 13, the Fashion Show Production Club will hold its annual Fashion Show at Roseland Ballroom. The theme of this year’s show is “Temporis,” and it will shine a spotlight on the future of fashion.
The Fashion Show is an important experiential education opportunity. Participating students learn the skills needed to mount a full-scale, professional-level production and then apply those skills in front of an audience of fellow students, faculty, staff, alumni, family, friends, and fashion industry insiders. Approximately 1,400 attendees are expected, making it the largest in the show’s 68-year history. Faculty advisors Sahar Pazirandeh, Joseph Ungoco, Erica Lynn Young and a dedicated group of students have put in an incredible amount of hard work hard over the last several months to create what promises to be an electrifying evening.
While the glitz and glamour of fashion is undeniably appealing, fashion is first and foremost a business. And to be successful in that business, a well-rounded education is indispensable. LIM College students take a challenging array of business and liberal arts courses, and on April 18 we will honor outstanding academic achievement at the Sigma Beta Delta induction ceremony.
Sigma Beta Delta is the International Honor Society for Business, Management, and Administration. To be admitted into Sigma Beta Delta, juniors and seniors must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher throughout their years at LIM College -- an impressive accomplishment by any measure.
I look forward to joining the LIM College community at both of these wonderful events. In its own way, each represents the excellence that LIM College strives to instill in students as they travel on the path to become fashion’s future leaders.
Posted on Fri, Feb 10, 2012 @ 03:15 PM
Over the course of the next several weeks, I am encouraging LIM College’s students, faculty and staff, as well as everyone else in the community who is concerned about New York’s future, to go to http://www.capwiz.com/apccolleges/home/ and participate in an email campaign in support of New York State’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). TAP is a need-based financial aid program which provides vital assistance to thousands of college students who are New York State residents.
It has become increasingly difficult for many students and their families to afford a college education, so we are especially appreciative of the continued support that Governor Cuomo and the New York State legislature have shown for the TAP program throughout the years. However, we would also like to urge them to restore previous budget cuts that have impacted students at two-year colleges.
Investing in education for all of New York State’s students makes good fiscal sense, and will help ensure the State’s continued economic growth and prosperity. Please take a moment and join me in sharing this message with your local elected officials.
Posted on Fri, Jan 06, 2012 @ 11:05 AM
Several LIM College students have recently been awarded scholarship prizes from leading fashion and retail organizations. I am proud of our students’ accomplishments and grateful for the support these groups provide to young women and men as they strive to achieve their educational goals.
On January 10, Emily Acle, Mary Kate Guidry and Christina Reid will receive $5,000 scholarships from the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) at its annual star-studded awards dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria. The FSF is a national non-profit association dedicated to promoting education in the fashion arts and business by granting scholarships and facilitating internships, mentorships and career programs. LIM College is one of only 34 educational institutions chosen to participate in the YMA FSF competition. Other participating schools include Barnard College, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, and the University of Virginia.
This past fall, the Black Retail Action Group (BRAG) announced that four of the 12 college scholarships it will distribute this year will be given to LIM College students. Those students are Kayla Hart, Sherene Lynch, Victoria Walton, and Diane O. Zavala. For more than two decades, BRAG has provided financial assistance to students of color who are interested in pursuing careers in fashion, retail or related industries. Scholarship recipients are selected based on scholastic achievement, leadership, community service, and need.
Also this past fall, the Free Your Star Foundation awarded its inaugural scholarship of $500 to LIM College senior Shean England. Free Your Star scholarships are awarded to undergraduate students with financial need who maintain a high grade point average and demonstrate a passion for contributing to their community. The Free Your Star Foundation was started by LIM College alumna Sahar Pazirandeh (Class of 2008) and aims to change the face of the fashion, film, photography, and magazine industries by providing financial resources and mentoring for urban youth and women. Free Your Star also plans to award a $1,000 scholarship this spring.
Posted on Tue, Nov 01, 2011 @ 12:26 PM
LIM College held its first-ever Friends & Family Weekend on October 21-23 – and I am very happy to report that it was a great success. Hundreds of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and their family members came together for three days of fun and exciting events on the LIM College campus and at locations throughout New York City.
Maxwell Hall turned into a casino on Friday night, as our guests hit the roulette, blackjack, and poker tables and slot machines to win raffle tickets for an assortment of fashionable prizes. All proceeds benefitted the LIM Fashion Education Foundation. There were also a wide variety of foods representing famous NYC neighborhoods, including an authentic hot dog cart, and pasta and pastries from Little Italy. The evening’s grand prize, a raffle drawing for $5,000, was won by Alex Penberg, an alumna from our Class of 2010.
Saturday’s activities consisted of breakfast and private shopping at Henri Bendel, a fundraising walk for lupus, a forum on adjusting to College life, the “Flaunting Fearlessly” student fashion show, and the College’s annual Drag Show. We closed the weekend out on Sunday morning with a brunch for students and their families which featured a performance by LIM College’s Ultimate Choir.
Friends & Family Weekend provided a great opportunity for our students and their families to share a slice of College life together and strengthen their connection to the LIM College community. We look forward to making this an annual event -- and hope even more of you will join us next year.
Posted on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 @ 12:59 PM
At LIM College we offer a wide variety of opportunities to gain hands-on experience in the fashion world. Industry-sponsored competitions provide especially creative and practical learning experiences and give students the chance to receive feedback on their work from professionals in the field.
We recently partnered with the Accessories Council on the Next Generation Awards program. Students in our Accessories and Fashion Communications in the Digital Age courses were challenged to select a fashion accessory and create a marketing plan to increase its sales. They then prepared video and/or PowerPoint presentations to pitch their campaigns to the Board of Directors of the Accessories Council.
All of the presentations were well-received by the judges, with the top three entrants receiving scholarship prizes funded by the Accessories Council. Lisa Zalenski won the $2,500 first prize for a campaign to boost the sale of fashion scarves. Ashley Dean placed second and received $1,500 for her idea for a website to promote footwear sales. And Danielle Cuomo’s plan for a website to sell hair care products earned her third place and $500.
A competition originally held this past spring in conjunction with the National Stationery Show even blossomed into an opportunity for our students to have their work featured in a Connecticut museum. Paper fashions created by students and faculty in our Visual Merchandising Department are now part of the Mattatuck Museum’s “Chrome & Couture – Say ‘Yes’ To the Paper Dress” show, which will run until January 2012.
When it comes to preparing for a career in the business of fashion, hands-on experience is crucial. We look forward to continuing to provide our students with more valuable and exciting opportunities like these throughout the academic year.
Posted on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 @ 08:15 AM
LIM College recently lost a passionate educator and treasured colleague. Ronald Knoth, who passed away earlier this month, was a member of the College community since 2007. He joined us an adjunct faculty member in the Visual Merchandising Department and went on to become a full-time faculty member in the Fashion Merchandising Department.
Ron was a kind, gentle person who had a diverse array of talents and interests. An authority on the career of mannequin designer and former LIM College instructor Lester Gaba, he was interviewed by a writer for Life magazine earlier this year about Gaba’s life and work and he also spoke about Gaba in his keynote address at the College's "Fashion: Now & Then" symposium in April.
Ron chronicled 20th century fashion history, wrote poetry, and took artful photographs that appeared on several industry blogs and websites. His own blog, The Bespoken: For Gentlemen, billed as “the thinking man’s guide to fashion, life and everything else,” developed a large and loyal following.
On September 21, the LIM College community gathered to remember and celebrate Ron’s life. Students, faculty and staff gave testimonials that uniformly described Ron as an endlessly knowledgable and creative professional who was above all else a thoughtful and generous friend.
Ron is irreplaceable -- and will be greatly missed by everyone at LIM College. To honor his memory, a scholarship is being established in his name.
Posted on Fri, Aug 19, 2011 @ 02:35 PM
Welcome to LIM College.
Right now you are probably wondering what your first year here is going to be like. The truth is that you’re about to begin one of the greatest adventures of your life. You’ll discover new things about yourself, make friendships that will last a lifetime, and probably work harder than you ever have before as you begin to fulfill your dream of pursuing a successful career in the fashion industry.
You may be worried about everything that lies ahead. Yet I can assure you that you’re not alone on this journey. You’re now part of the LIM College community, which you’ll find can be one of your greatest tools for success.
There may be some bumps in the road, but don’t get discouraged. There are many resources available to you here. If you have questions or concerns about academics, housing, financial aid, internships, or anything else, there’s an office -- and in that office there’s a team of people -- ready and willing to help you.
I hope you've enjoyed your Orientation Week activities. I know that I’ve enjoyed meeting many of you already and I look forward to getting to know all of you throughout the upcoming semester.
Posted on Mon, Aug 01, 2011 @ 11:08 AM
The LIM College community has known it for close to five decades, and now New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission has made it official. Our flagship townhouse at 12 East 53rd Street, (known in Landmarks Preservation Commission records as the Fisk-Harkness House), was granted landmark status during a hearing at the end of June.
“The Townhouse,” which underwent a significant renovation in 2007, is the centerpiece of our Midtown Manhattan campus and currently houses state-of-the-art classrooms, computer labs, offices, and faculty and student lounges. Since being purchased by the College in 1964, it has held a special place in the hearts and minds of the thousands of dedicated students, alumni, faculty and staff who comprise the LIM College community.
The structure was built in 1871 and is a rare survivor of the period when the area around Fifth Avenue in Midtown was home to Manhattan’s wealthiest citizens. In 1906 architect Raleigh C. Gildersleeve, who also designed buildings for Princeton University’s campus, transformed the Townhouse into a grand, five-story American Basement-plan house with an asymmetrical neo-Tudor Gothic style limestone façade. At this time, it was owned by Harvey E. Fisk, a prominent investment banker.
In 1909 Fisk sold the building to Standard Oil heir William L. Harkness. It later housed the Automobile Club of America, and in 1938 art and antiques dealers Symons Galleries leased the building – during which time apartments were constructed on the top floors. An advertising agency eventually took over the ground-floor commercial space in 1949.
In an architectural sense, the Townhouse is the jewel in our crown. We now look forward to continuing to work with the Landmarks Preservation Commission to preserve this special building for future generations of LIM College students and the people of New York City.
Posted on Wed, Jun 22, 2011 @ 09:37 AM
Last night I attended Solstice Sunglass Boutique’s Summer Solstice event, where Kristina Visceglia, who recently completed LIM College’s Visual Merchandising Certificate Program, was announced as the winner of the “Summer Solstice Visual Merchandising Design Competition.” Her design concept, “Discovering Summer Solstice,” was selected to appear in a promotional campaign now featured in the windows of 160 Solstice stores nationwide. It’s also being used in a variety of other marketing initiatives - including mailings, kiosks and on Facebook.
Congratulations to Kristina on her winning concept, and kudos to our runners-up Connor de Guehery, Tara Mangiero and Jordan McGovern -- as well as all the students in Professor Marjorie Lee Woo’s Visual Presentation class who participated in the competition and submitted some really stellar proposals.
On behalf of everyone at LIM College, I’d like to thank everyone at Solstice and Safilo who helped make this project possible. They provided our Visual Merchandising students with an incredible opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom and strengthen their resumes.
I would also like to recognize Professor Eric Feigenbaum, the Chair of our Visual Merchandising Department, and Associate Chair Marjorie Lee Woo, who devoted many hours to working with the students on this competition.
Real-world, hands-on learning experiences like this one are invaluable to our students as they prepare for their careers, and are an important part of what an LIM College education is all about.