Peter Kilduff for AIMS360
In March this year, most of the Art Institute campuses in the United States were abruptly closed, including all those located in California. These schools offered degrees in the visual, creative, applied, and culinary arts. The closures left many students in mid program, with no opportunity to complete their degrees. Among these were many fashion students.
California apparel executives shocked by this news organized a meeting to help former Art Institute students find employment opportunities within the industry. Art Institute instructors, who had lost their jobs through the closure, also joined the effort. There were also representatives from AIMS360 business management software who are working to connect students with jobs at fashion companies.
The fashion schools at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Northridge also decided to help. They organized a program for AI students which provides them the opportunity to complete their degrees at these institutions and provided contact information for any who wanted to explore opportunities.
Dr Peter Kilduff, a Professor in the Apparel Merchandising & Management department at Cal Poly Pomona, said “Our purpose in reaching out was to let students know that it was not the end of the line and that support was available to help them complete their degrees.” “Our two schools, and our sister institutions within the Cal State University system, are in a position to help – with advice, late admissions, articulation of transfer units, and access to financial aid” he said.
Kilduff says that in the two weeks since they organized the efforts, Cal Poly Pomona started to receive a trickle of inquiries from former AI students. He hopes this will build as the message spreads by word of mouth and that all of the affected students will get to complete their degree.
The AMM department at Cal Poly Pomona offers a Bachelor of Science degree with options that embrace product development, fashion industry management, merchandising, fashion retail management and textiles.
If you are an Art Institute student, please contact Cal Poly Pomona or Cal State Northridge to help complete your degree. Please contact the email addresses listed below and include “Art Institute Transfer” in your email subject line.
Peter Kilduff Ph.D.
Interim Associate Dean
Professor, Apparel Merchandising & Management Don B Huntley College of Agriculture
Cal Poly Pomona
Pomona, Los Angeles, California Tel: 909-869-2203
Email: pkilduff@cpp.edu
Dr. Yi “Tom” Cai
College of Health and Human Development Cal State Northridge
Northridge, California
Tel: 818-677-3051
Email: yi.cai@csun.edu
