Joyce Brown Announces Her Retirement as First African American President of FIT

Joyce F. Brown, president of the Fashion Institute of Technology within the State University of New York system, has announced she will step down from her role at the end of this academic year.

In 1998, Dr. Brown was appointed as FIT’s first woman and first African American president. Dr. Brown’s leadership has led the institution to create 30 new degree and certificate programs and establish a new 10-story academic building. Additionally, she oversaw the development of FIT’s Social Justice Center, an initiative dedicated to increasing the number of people from underrepresented backgrounds in creative industries; the Center for Innovation, a research center for faculty; and the DTech Lab, an innovation hub for combining design thinking with new technologies.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Brown held several positions with other higher education institutions. At the City University of New York, she served as a professor and as the vice chancellor for student affairs, urban affairs, and development programs. From 1990-1992, she served as acting president of CUNY’s Baruch College. Additionally, she spent one year as deputy mayor for public and community affairs for New York City.

Dr. Brown received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from from Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, which later closed and was absorbed by Fordham University. She holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. in counseling psychology from New York University.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

New Online Library for the Study of Philanthropy and Black Churches

The new Philanthropy and the Black Church digital collection of the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving, an organization founded by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, and the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, aims to provide resources for Black churches and other philanthropic institutions to partner together on strategic initiatives.

Online Articles That May Be of Interest to JBHE Readers

Each week, JBHE will provide links to online articles that may be of interest to our readers. Here are this week’s selections.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Establishes New Research Center to Address Segregation in Local Area

The new Center for Equity Practice and Planning Justice at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee aims to study the history of racial segregation in the local area and advance racially equitable practices in urban planning.

Featured Jobs