Okay, welcome to our remote information session for the School of Fashion and the College of the Arts at Kent State University. I'm Leanne Starlin-Nelson. I'm the Academic Recruitment and Retention Director for the College of the Arts and I'll be your facilitator for today.
Thank you for joining us. This is a half hour information session. Before we get started, I have just a few housekeeping items. So you can go ahead and mute your mic and if you have questions you can drop them into the chat box which is the little word cloud. that's in the toolbar so you can type a question in there.
We may be a smaller group so at the end of the presentations we can maybe unmute our mics and then open it up for questions through dialogue. And the session is also being recorded so that we can share with other prospective students. If you're in need of closed captioning and you're tuning in through Teams, in the toolbox there's a three dot bar.
If you click on that you can turn on closed captioning on your end so you can use that as a tool if it's needed. Today you'll hear a little bit more about our fashion merchandising major from my colleagues Emily Vanasek, who's an academic advisor in the School of Fashion, and my other colleague, Professor William Perrine, who's a senior lecturer within the Fashion School. So we'll start today's session with Emily and give her a chance to introduce herself, and while she does that, I'm going to share my screen with you so that you can see her presentation.
Right. Welcome, everyone. I'm Emily Vanasek.
I am one of the academic advisors at the School of Fashion, just like Leanne said. I want to welcome you all. I'm really excited to give you a bit of an overview about our programs and our requirements and just a general overview about what we offer here at Kent State. And then like Leanne said, at the end we will be opening up for questions and since we have a smaller audience at this point, it'll be great to have some open dialogue with you all.
We're going to jump on into our academic profile so you can get an idea and a snapshot of what our current student body actually looks like. So on your screen there you can see fashion merchandising does continue to be our largest program. Obviously since the fashion merchandising degree does encompass all of the areas outside of fashion design, it's naturally the largest and will continue to be so.
About 40 percent of our student body is out-of-state students. It doesn't include international students in this number though, just the non-Ohio U.S. citizens. It's also important to note that our underrepresented student percentage actually includes students who identify as the African American, Hispanic Latino, Multiracial, Asian, Native American, Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander, all of those things.
So you can see some of the snapshots on your screen there. The fashion school. does have the highest number of honors students than any other school on our campus.
So if you are interested in our honors college, you're actually really easily able to integrate their honors college requirements into our fashion design or fashion merchandising degree. And we can always talk more in depth about that too, if needed. We do have 65 faculty members, 33 of which are full-time and 34 of which are professional part-time.
Faculty includes the members that are at the Kent campus, at the New York City studio, and at the Florence campus, who all specifically teach just the fashion courses. So most of the adjunct faculty are still actively working out in the industry, and they teach one to two courses and are a great benefit to our students inside and outside of the classroom because of that. At Kent State University, we have required advising.
to meet with an academic advisor at least once a semester. So I myself am one of those advisors, and then we have two other advisors, Laura Caporanis and Riley Woods. Those three, us three academic advisors, we're available to help students plan their degree requirements. Obviously, we also help them with study away experiences and understanding how that impacts their academic degree, and also anything additional, any additional academic pursuits that the student wants to do. We're here to be a resource for those students to navigate registration issues, difficulties in classes, or if you just need help connecting, anything like that.
That's what an advisor is here for. So jumping in, the School of Fashion actually has two main programs, one being fashion design, one being fashion merchandising. Today, we're talking mostly about just the Bachelor of Science in fashion merchandising.
So that's what I'm going to speak about right now. The Fashion Merchandising major covers almost all areas of the industry outside of design, so product development, marketing, promotion, buying, forecasting, media, public relations courses, things like that. So courses in the major are more business based because of that. Students do complete the three studios that also translate into our design students curriculum as well.
But outside of that, students are in all lecture based courses to help students focus their degree. We do require that all fashion merchandising majors declare a minor. So students can choose any minor that they want at Kent State, but merchandisers do have to declare a minor.
And we can talk a little bit more in depth about that as well. when we open it up for discussions. Students are also required to complete a couple different requirements through the Kent Core and additional classes.
So students do complete introductory statistics as a merchandising major. That's the only math class that you're required to do, but we also do require a couple College of Business classes for your degree, which would be the Principles of Microeconomics class and also Principles of Marketing. So that's just a super basic. general orientation into the curriculum that merchandising students have. I think tomorrow, if you're also interested in the Bachelor of Art in Fashion Design, we will have an info session.
Same time, same place, same thing. So if you're interested, let us know and we can get you that link as well. Okay, the next slide, we're going to talk about internships, which is really exciting. All of our majors are actually required. required to complete at least one internship experience for credit.
But while only one of those internships is required, I definitely recommend that students complete multiple internships to gain an experience. Since the fashion industry is such an applied field, the more practical experience you have, the better prepared you'll be. So actually, in the School of Fashion, students are able to work directly with these two ladies that you see on the screen.
Hilary Stone on the top, she is our internship director. an industry liaison. And then on the bottom, that's Miss Millie Ott. She's our internship manager, and they're here to help you build your resume, connect to the industry, and prepare to get a job.
Companies actually frequent the fashion school a lot to recruit our students. We've had companies like Target and American Eagle, Kohl's, Express. It's just a couple of the long list that we have.
And Hillary and Millie are consistently sending out emails from those companies to our students and to our listservs here so that those companies who want our students can directly get their information to each and every one of those students. And students complete a really wide variety of internships, not just at those big name stores like I just mentioned, but also at smaller boutiques and companies. A couple.
Just examples, up in Cleveland, Ohio, if you're familiar with the area, Fount is a leather apparel company that a lot of our students enjoy interning at. And then also even a boutique such as the Kent Fabrics, which again, if you're familiar with the area, it's a fabric store that's located right in downtown Kent, which was actually, the business was actually created by one of our graduates. So that's really cool.
It's also important to know that students are responsible for securing their internships. The School of Fashion does not actually place students into an internship, but we equip the students with the skills and the resources that they need in order to research and interview and actually secure those internships. So you won't just be placed at any internship that you maybe don't enjoy as much as something else that you were more interested in. So that's a little bit about our internships. Next is study away, maybe even more exciting than internships.
all of our fashion students, no matter if you're a design student or a merchandising student, you're all required to actually participate in a study away or in a broad experience. So typically students participate in these experiences during their junior year in the program because either you take Kent State fashion courses at the locations or you take equivalent fashion courses at the locations and those can be offered throughout the summer, the fall, or the spring so you can remain on track. with your degree, even if you participate in a couple different experiences, but you're at least required to go to one location. In order to actually participate in Study Away, you need to have a 2.5 overall GPA, so you have multiple semesters when you start Kent State to, you know, pursue your academic excellence and be above a 2.5 in order to go, and then you also have to successfully complete all of your sophomore level fashion courses by the time you are intending to travel so that you do remain on track for graduation.
And that's something that an academic advisor can absolutely help you with. Alright, we're going to dive a little bit more in depth, but not too in depth with study away. So on the next slide here you can see full semester experiences.
So all of the experiences on this list take place during the fall or the spring semester. And just so you know, I'm going to be pretty general in my explanation of most of these things, but I believe on Friday of this week, again just like today, we're going to have another information session just about studying away. So if you are looking for more in-depth information, we can chat at the end or you can tune back in on Friday.
But all of these experiences take place fall or spring, so one full semester, and you're able to participate in more than one of these experiences, but you cannot participate in the same experience for multiple semesters, with one exception being the New York City Studio. So let's first talk about the New York City Studio. It is an extension of the School of Fashion, and it's literally Kent State.
Located right in the heart of the Garment District, students complete their Kent State courses when they're there. So you pay the exact same tuition rate as if you were staying at Kent campus. But all of the classes that are at the New York City Studio are taught by the New York City Studio based faculty who live and work there full time. All New York City Studio participants are required to sign up for a class called the study tour, which gives you the opportunity to visit lots of different fashion related sites.
You also get presentations from guest speakers from the industry, and it gives you an overall orientation into the city. The courses that you take there are definitely flexible, so you can participate in an internship when you're there or do some sort of work or volunteer opportunity when you're there. And then in regard to housing, there is actually a list of housing providers located on the New York City Studio website, which is really easily accessible if you just go to www. kent.edu backslash fashion and there's a whole study away tab.
All right, Florence, Italy. So Florence is also a Kent State University program, so students will be studying abroad with not only fashion majors but a wide variety of majors from Kent State. So that's what's different from the New York City studio where New York City is just Kent, I'm sorry, just fashion majors where Florence is lots of different majors that study there. The classes are held in the historic center of Florence, which is beautiful. The courses are taught by Florence-based faculty, but they're all full-time and multilingual, so you don't have to worry about that.
You are required to complete a study tour class when you are in Florence as well, which also includes really impressive field trips to either European or Italian fashion, textile industry sites. And also you generally have trips to Paris and Milan and places like that. So in order to help our students prepare for an entire semester going abroad to Florence, the semester before they would go they would take an orientation class to help them prepare.
Now the three remaining programs on the list are a little bit different. Students enroll in fashion courses but those classes are offered through those other universities. So we don't own these locations obviously, these are other universities. Students will work with their academic advisor to ensure that the courses that they complete at these universities will actually transfer back and count towards their degree so that they do remain on track. So Regents University is located in the heart of UK's capital city.
It's very gorgeous. It's inside of a park. Outside of the major courses that you would take there, you have lots of opportunity to engage in journalism classes, public relation. fashion classes, photography, fashion show production classes, styling courses, all kinds of unique things. And then the last two experiences are actually exchange programs.
So an exchange program, it is a little bit different. We are limited in the number of students that we can send to these locations. So each spring semester, we're actually able to send up to five students to Rutlingen University in Germany, and then up to five students also to Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
So Regents University is actually one of the leading schools in textile technology and textile management. So if that's your interest, this would be a great place for you. It is a great place for fashion merchandising majors to go, fashion merchandising majors that have an interest in textiles specifically.
If our fashion design students are interested in going to Regents University in London, they will be a little bit off track because they do not offer our junior level studio courses. And again, we can talk more in depth about that. But a merchandising student, this would be great for you.
And then lastly, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, they're actually really well known for their product development, their manufacturing and their technology. So in addition to major courses that you would take. you're also able to enroll in lots of different FDM electives. So fashion course electives that focus on those areas of product development, manufacturing, technology, sustainability, and even knitwear too.
So those are our full semester experiences. And then next you will see the summer semester experiences. So these opportunities are all offered during summer semester and they all vary a little bit in length. So during the New York City and the Florence programs, that are the two at the top of the list, students can complete two fashion elective courses when you're there, including those study tours that I talked about previously with all of those extra trips and fun destinations.
When you're in New York City, even in the summer, you're definitely able to complete your internship for credit if you meet those prerequisites. Now, Regents University in London, also, you're able to complete the fashion electives in the summertime through the... that university. So if what I spoke about just a second ago is interesting to you, consider it in the summertime too. Now the Paris American Academy, I haven't talked about that yet.
So through a partnership with the Paris American Academy, students are able to enroll in two Kent State courses that are fashion electives that are offered in Paris, taught by Paris faculty. So it's very unique for this program. Design students complete couture-focused design courses, and merchandising students complete more of a marketing focus, and the courses are focused on the Parisian luxury market. So the students love going to all of those luxury brand stores throughout their time there.
So students that are typically in Paris, they're there during Paris Fashion Week. Most of them are. So students are able to volunteer and experience.
all kinds of behind the scenes of that Paris Fashion Week. And it's about a month-long program too, so you get quite a bit of time. Now, Dancook University is located in Seoul, South Korea, which is South Korea's capital.
Students can complete two fashion elective courses through Dancook University. And the program includes a lot of Korean cultural activities. So if you're interested in that, this is a phenomenal option.
You have the opportunity to also interview and be placed in an internship with a South Korean company. So that's unique. That is one of the only locations that you are actually placed into an internship. We don't expect that you know all of the South Korean companies and can interview with them on your own. So we do help you with that process.
All right. And lastly, the two on the bottom of the list are study tours. And these are a great option for students who may be looking for a bit of a shorter, more affordable experience.
You can also add these study tours to any other locations that you would like to go as well. So like I said before, you can do more than one of these options if you wish. But if you wish to save as much money as possible and have the most affordable experience, then Los Angeles study tour or Germany study tour might be for you. So those are our two locations that we have right now.
And students spend about one week in the classroom roughly. learning about the industry at those locations. And then they actually travel there with our faculty.
And William Perrine can totally talk about this in a little bit because we have him on the line here too. And he leads that Germany study tour. So he will be a wealth of knowledge. Now, the very last slide that I have for you, a little bit of information here, just about getting involved, because it's so important that you actually take advantage of and get out of the classroom and meet new people and explore. So the list of student organizations that you see right now, there are just registered student organizations that are directly associated with the School of Fashion.
These are a great way to become involved, honestly. And also William would be a phenomenal resource to talk about FSO, which is the fashion student organization that you see there. So as a Kent State student, you can totally join any of these organizations, but you don't have to join fashion organizations if you don't want to.
There's also like... 400 plus other organizations that you can take advantage of too. So that is my presentation, a little bit for you guys there.
And we're going to open it up for questions and more conversation now. So I'm going to throw it back to you, Leanne. Did we lose Leanne? Is she still there?
If anyone can still hear me, could you let me know, please? Hey, it's Leanne, Emily. I can hear you. Okay, great.
Do we know if we lost Leanne on the call? I think we might have, Emily. I have some questions coming in in the chat I can read for you.
So Jillian says that she graduated in China in 2011 and has an accounting bachelor's degree. If she applies it to your major, do you need to do four years at least? That's a great question.
Thank you, Jillian. I'm assuming since you're on this call, you're interested in the fashion merchandising program. So if you already have. an accounting bachelor's degree?
No, you do not have to have another four years here at Kent State. You would actually be applying to Kent State as a post-undergraduate degree-seeking student. So no, it would not take you four full years.
But if you are interested in fashion design, that is a little bit of a different story. That is a four-year lockstep program. So yes, you most likely would be here for an additional four years. I think I saw Leanne jump back on. Are you there, Leanne?
I am. I'm finally here. I don't know.
We just answered one of Jillian's questions that were in the chat. Great. Wonderful. William, are you still there?
Yep, I'm here. Awesome. One of the things I wanted to cover.
Was your background and a little information about what you teach and your pathway to the fashion school? Oh, well, that's a long story. That's a lot at once. In a nutshell, I was actually, I was a fashion merchandising undergraduate major. And then I worked in the industry for about 14 years and then decided to go back to graduate school or go to graduate school and become a professor.
So I've been at Kent State in the fashion school for about 14 years now. That's the abbreviated version. Thank you.
Can you talk a little bit about what you're teaching or what you generally teach in here? Well, like Emily said, I lead the study tour to Germany every year, and normally we would be leaving this Friday. And I also teach intro to fashion technology, which is a required class for all freshmen. So it's like Photoshop, Illustrator. InDesign, Excel, so it's a little bit of everything of the different technologies you'll be touching throughout your time in the fashion school.
I also teach a senior merchandising class, it's called Apparel in the Global Economy. And so it kind of incorporates how the fashion industry just fits as an industry within the global economy. So we talk about different countries and trade agreements and what's going on in the world as far as trade between countries and things like that. So it's... It really kind of changes every semester depending on what's happening in the world every semester.
So it's one of my favorite ones to teach, actually. I've been doing that for over 10 years, I think. That's so interesting.
Thank you for sharing that. Jillian had another question. I don't know if you covered this, Emily, so stop me if you did. But will courses be online this coming year?
We're not sure. We're still waiting to hear from our university about what our practice is going to be in the fall. We're all hoping to know within the next month or so.
And I'm sure once we do, the university admissions office will contact you and also share that with you so you can make a choice about that. One of the things that I always get questions about that I think is really important for the fashion merchandising students is selection of a minor since everyone's required to do it. So would one of you feel comfortable speaking to that? Yeah, certainly.
Since fashion merchandising students can choose literally any minor that they want at the university, we see a lot of different options. I would say some of the most popular options, obviously, because they relate a little bit more to the industry and to their major would be any of those college of business based minors. So we see a lot of students that do a general business minor to get a little bit of information about a lot of different things or maybe they go more specific into a marketing minor or something like that.
I see a lot of marketing minors here. I think the management or the leadership minor is also incredibly valuable. I also see a lot of students go more of the College of Communication and Information route.
So they do maybe public relations or advertising, or we do have a minor that's called fashion media. And it's a minor that both journalism students and fashion merchandising students take advantage of that has a heavy focus in the fashion publishing industry. So lots of journalism based classes.
So you can really do anything. I think some of the merchandising students really want to dabble in those creative industries. fields too. Maybe they were on the fence with either design, going fashion design route or fashion merchandising, and they chose merchandising, but they want a little bit more creative pathways. So maybe they do the costume design minor, or maybe they do the textiles minor in the school of art or something like that.
There's so many options. That's a really good question. Thank you, Emily. So we only have a couple of minutes left.
I wanted to see if there's any other questions from our participants all right does it sound like there's any other outstanding questions you're welcome thank you for the presentation you're welcome for you and just a reminder that we'll be back here tomorrow at 3 p.m. for a session on fashion design it'll operate very similar to how this does If you do have some questions, you are welcome to put them in the box and we can get back to you with that. Emily, do you want to leave an email address or something where students can contact you directly if you don't mind? Yeah, not a problem.
We can type that into the comment bar and it'll be the fashion academic advising email address. So either Laura or Riley, could you type that in for us, please? And just so the participants know, if you if you'd like to reach anyone in academic advising, the FDM dash advisor email address will reach all of you. of us and we'd be happy to answer your questions. There it is.
Thank you, Laura. Thank you. And thanks everyone for joining us. We hope to see you here tomorrow and we hope to hear from you soon. Thanks.
Thank you. Thank you. Hi.
Hi guys. Thanks for letting me sit in.