In 1998, Dr. Joyce F. Brown stepped into the role of President of Fashion Institute of Technology, the sixth ever person to hold the title and also the first woman and African American to do so. During her tenure, FIT awarded more than 82,000 degrees, created 33 new degree and certificate programs, and led an expansion of fields of study. But after 27 years of success, Brown has stepped down. She recently spoke with the Amsterdam News to reflect on leadership, culture change, and what it means to build something that lasts.
AmNews: You stepped into this role 27 years ago. Do you remember what it felt like in those early days? Were you apprehensive?
Dr. Joyce F. Brown: I wouldn’t say apprehension. I didn’t have any apprehension about it. I knew there were challenges ahead. My whole career had really prepared me to take on this job and those challenges. I knew there were things I didn’t know. I didn’t know which challenges were going to come and when, but it wasn’t so much apprehension. I felt prepared to do whatever needed to be done.
There’s always that little bit of nervous edge when you try something new, and there are so many unknowns, and I think what occurred to me after I got there, I felt like there was a real opportunity to create, to build on all the creativity that I saw there. FIT had really greater potential than it was demonstrating.
So what I felt inspired to do was to work to kind of shed some of the restraints and constraints that, after however many years that we had been in business, some 50 plus years. When you do, when you repeat and do things the same way for that long, you really are cutting off your opportunity for new and different and innovative things. And so I was inspired to try and work to create a different kind of dialogue in the community, and create different opportunities for students, and to keep pushing.
AmNews: You’ve talked about changing culture. That’s no small feat. How do you actually shift behavior in an institution?
Brown: The question is about changing a culture. All you can do is create the opportunity for people to do their best work. And how do you do it? I think respectful listening is a big key. One of the first things that I did was start a strategic planning process, and I created a college-wide committee. Now, that sounds deadly, right? We made sure that every constituent group was represented. So we had faculty, we had administrators, we had board members, we had students. And all the different faculty from each of the areas were represented, so that people had an opportunity to talk about what they would like to see possible in this community of educators and learners. So I think a big part of it is being respectful of people’s points of view and being willing to really weigh those points of view and change what you might have thought was the direction based on what the community thinks is better for it.
AmNews: Did you feel supported in your leadership?
Brown: Some days were better than others. You have to gain the trust of people that you conceptualize, and you make good decisions. You’re not risk-averse. Yes, and not every decision you make is going to work. You have to have the room to pivot, have something not work out, and you try something else. I think I was very fortunate to have a very supportive board of trustees. I stayed in constant communication with the board, and they were very supportive. I built that open kind of communication with circles of faculty who represented the rest of the faculty.
There’s a faculty senate that represents those who aren’t on the senate. There’s leadership, a department chair, [and] people who represent their department. So there’s a lot of interaction and a lot of communication, reconsideration, and trying new things that are required if, in fact, you’re going to have a reciprocal kind of relationship in the college community.
AmNews: Over 27 years, what are you most proud of — something that people may not talk about enough?
Brown: I don’t know if people talk about it, but I think the thing I am most proud of is having changed the conversation in the community. We have faculty now who talk about their research, who try innovative things, who work collaboratively with other departments, who are working on interdisciplinary kinds of approaches for students and student assignments, and that students have the opportunity as a result. We opened what we call our DTech Lab, which is sort of a small innovation center where students have the opportunity to work with industry on problem-solving, real-world issues that the industry is working on. That’s a wonderful experience for young students. So it’s not about just going to class and leaving and hoping you’re going to get a job anymore. It’s really about being involved in the cutting edge of things that are happening in the industry.
AmNews: Is there anything you wish you had more time to accomplish?
Brown: I’ll put it this way: there’s always more to do, and I have many ideas about things we could do, directions we could go, things we could adopt. It’s just time to give others an opportunity. At some point, you have to move on. I would have liked to have seen how we’ve been building faculty. We’ve hired some incredible people. Now people come from all over, wanting to be at FIT because they get support for all of these wonderful new projects, and their ideas are listened to. I would have loved to have seen where we go with that. There’s always room for more people coming in with new ideas, and what that’s going to mean in terms of the community and the energy. I was very committed to building a new science lab, because so much of the innovative work today is in textiles, in color and design, and sustainability. So much of it is science-based; we call it bio-design. You’ve got all these kids who thought they were going to be artists, and now they’re in the laboratory, and they’re making new textiles, and they’re testing on saving water and not polluting the earth with the dyes — all kinds of wonderful things. I wanted to build a new science lab, so we raised the money for it. I feel good about that. I’ll come back and visit and see the new level.
AmNews: Can you share a meaningful moment with students during your tenure?
Brown: I tried to interact with students to the extent that I could. We had 9,000 students and I did get to interact with those in leadership positions, the student government, [and] those who run clubs. I think being the leader, being an African American woman leading meant a great deal to our young women of color. I could gain a sense of that kind of moment in interacting with those students, when I listen to them and when they express the kind of pride, and I guess, hopeful optimism about their own lives, when they see me in that position. So that was very meaningful.
AmNews: You were the first woman and first Black woman to lead FIT. What advice would you give to women stepping into leadership roles today?
Brown: Giving advice is always hard. I think, because everyone’s experience is different. I think I would say to young women, or any woman really coming along, is to really develop faith and confidence in yourself. To ground yourself in the belief that you’re there because you are qualified to be there, and you have to trust your judgment.
I know I have to step back and make my own judgment about what the direction is, and sometimes you have to take a lot of heat for that. But you’ve got to be grounded in your own confidence, and you have to remember that not everybody is rooting for your success and be okay with that. You also have to keep that little edge where you continue to evaluate what people are telling you and suggesting to you, and that you know it goes back to having been grounded in your own belief that you know how to do what you’re doing.
AmNews: How would you like to be remembered?
Brown: I guess I would like to be remembered that I was fair. That I was student-centered. I understood every day that we came there to serve the students…and to create a good teaching and learning environment for them and for faculty. That I supported faculty in their professional aspirations, their research, the kinds of things that always redounded to the benefit of the entire community. I hope they will think I was smart about the decisions that I did make, that I was committed and persevered. It’s the legacy of never giving up on building, which is sort of exemplary of how you have to go about all of these things.
AmNews: What’s next for you?
Brown: I’m looking forward to doing something else. I never, ever, ever say the word retire. I don’t understand it as a concept. I believed it was time to step down. I built the building. As many know, you can’t stay forever, even if you think you should. So I am anticipating the next challenge. I’m talking to a lot of people. I think I have a lot of good skills to share, and it’s always been in the not-for-profit world. So we’ll see. Stay tuned.
Editor’s Note: This story has been edited for length and clarity.