The Bob Fisch Graduate Student Award Program will award scholarships for academic excellence in the Fashion Design MFA program, as well as the Global Fashion Management program. Photo: FIT
FASHION CARES
Fashion Institute of Technology Launches Award Program With Robert Fisch
The Fashion Institute of Technology announced that Robert (Bob) Fisch, founder and former chairman and chief executive officer of rue21; award-winning author of “Fisch Tales: The Making of a Millennial Baby Boomer”; and Fashion Institute of Technology Foundation director, has launched the Bob Fisch Graduate Student Award Program.
The program, which includes a $300,000 gift and an intergenerational mentoring strategy, features an award for entrepreneurial excellence, thesis grants and graduate scholarships for students in certain MFA and MPS programs at FIT. Fisch will provide mentorship for students as well.
“Thanks to Bob’s commitment to nurturing creativity in the next generation of industry leaders, FIT is the proud recipient of this $300,000 gift,” said FIT President Dr. Joyce F. Brown. “It will establish an unprecedented series of opportunities that will benefit students in our graduate Global Fashion Management and Fashion Design programs.”
The program includes a $25,000 award for entrepreneurial excellence, given to one standout recipient for the best business plan and design presented during the graduate capstone ceremony, 10 graduate scholarships for academic excellence awarded to students in the Global Fashion Management and Fashion Design programs, and 33 thesis-project completion grants for students in the Global Fashion Management MPS and Fashion Design MFA programs.
Fisch is recognized as a pioneering merchant for his bold and successful innovations in value-priced and fast-fashion retailing. He joined the board of the FIT Foundation in October 2020. Prior to joining the board, he was a guest lecturer in addition to serving as a mentor and adviser at FIT.
