Missions and Goals of The Fashion School

The Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising, founded in 1983, is dedicated to providing excellence in fashion education.   At the Baccalaureate level, the School offers the B.A., Fashion Design and the B.S., Fashion Merchandising.  The School also participates in the Combined B.S., Fashion Merchandising/M.B.A. Program where students can earn up to 12 credits in graduate level coursework toward a M.B.A while earning the B.S., Fashion Merchandising.  At the Graduate level, the School offers Master of Fashion (MFash), a 30-credit, initial masters-level degree for the academic advancement of students who want to a) engage in advanced-practitioner research in fashion, b) expand their own knowledge base and expertise in a specific topic area, c) advance their professional career, d) expand their entrepreneurial opportunities, and/or e) begin developing credentials for an entry-level appointment in academia. 

The School’s unique characteristics include selective admission, an industry-based curriculum, and a symbiotic relationship with the Kent State University Museum which serves as a learning laboratory for the students of the School as well as students from disciplines across the campus.

The School’s founders, the late Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman, built one of America’s most successful and respected fashion firms.  They gave to Kent State University their premier collection of costumes and other works of decorative arts which form the nucleus of the Kent State University Museum.

Selective admission to the School is limited to those students who have demonstrated at the secondary level their ability to meet the rigorous requirements of the four-year curriculum.  The faculty of the School, drawn from leading fashion schools, major universities, and the fashion industry, strongly support the basic premise of a liberal arts education; that is, to develop in students intellectual flexibility, curiosity, creativity and a life-long love of learning.  A strong and viable liberal arts program forms the foundation for the professional industry-based components in design and merchandising.  Of critical importance is the School’s commitment to maintaining currency in fashion technology.

Throughout the programs, the merchandising and design curricula emphasize professional standards of achievement.  Lectures and seminars by visiting fashion professionals supplement the course offerings, while study tours throughout the United States and abroad, and internships in the fashion industry offer students a broad perspective and experience in international education.  Underlying the philosophy of the School is a commitment to honor its founders by becoming a world-class center of fashion education.

The primary goals of the School are to:

1.   create an academic environment which promotes the intellectual and professional development of students and faculty;

2.   develop and maintain a commitment to scholarly activity in research and creative activity, graduate education, and undergraduate education which is commensurate with the goals and mission of Kent State University;

3.   provide programs for all students which meet the educational and technological demands of the disciplines represented in the School;

4.   offer courses in cognate academic disciplines and professional fields which provide the necessary base for the career goals of students and faculty; and,

5.   provide the public with service commensurate with a University.

Implicit in these goals is our responsibility as instructors, which includes but is not limited to, educating undergraduate and graduate students and providing continuing education while promoting and clarifying the role and philosophy of education.

A strong commitment to research and creative activity means creating and maintaining a significant intellectual environment and achieving our broader commitments to the advancement of knowledge and service to the public. 

Service to the University and to the general public unifies and clarifies the role of the University in the local community, in the State of Ohio, in the nation, and is valued within the School, the College and the University.

The mission of the Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising is “Inspiring Creative and Resourcesful Fashion Leaders.”