Stony Brook University SUNY Korea

Fashion exhibitions have become an increasingly popular mainstay at museums—nearly 1.7 million people visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2018 show Heavenly Bodies, for example, making it the most-visited exhibition in the museum’s history. At the same time, major fashion brands such as Prada and LVMH have started foundations for displaying art. The work of Andy Warhol in particular prefigured many of these developments, says Natasha Degen, professor and chair of FIT’s Art Market Studies MA program. Her new book, Merchants of Style: Art and Fashion After Warhol, examines the convergence of art and fashion, and teases out some of its troubling implications. She answered a few questions on the subject for FIT Chief Storyteller Alex Joseph. Click here to read the original article.

  Five Stony Brook University faculty members — promoted to the rank of Distinguished Faculty at the April 11 State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees meeting — were recognized at the Distinguished Academy dinner and induction ceremony, held June 20 at the Crowne Plaza in Albany. The honored faculty members were appointed to the rank of Distinguished Professor, a prestigious honor bestowed upon professionals of the highest caliber. Click here to read the original article.

SUNY Korea Spring 2023 Commencement Ceremony and FIT AAS Exhibition * 2023 Spring Commencement Ceremony at the IGC Auditorium   The State University of New York, Korea hosted its Spring 2023 Commencement Ceremony on Friday, June 16 in Songdo, Incheon. A total of 68 students from the Applied Mathematics & Statistics, Business Management, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Technological Systems Management majors of Stony Brook University, and 85 students from the Fashion Design and Fashion Business Management majors of the Fashion Institute of Technology, graduated on this day. Arthur H. Lee, the president of SUNY Korea, noted in his congratulatory speech the 12 nationalities of the graduating students, including the United States, Canada, China, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Iran, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, and Taiwan; and congratulated the graduates one by one. He also emphasized the successes of recent SUNY graduates’, who attained employment at Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Deloitte, Naver, Kookmin Bank, KB Bank, KPMG, and KOTRA; and additionally, those who went on to prestigious graduate schools such as Stanford and Cornell University. His advice to the graduates: “Put what you have learned into action, execute what you have planned, and share what is beneficial with those around you.” Dr. Carl Lejuez, Chair of the Board of Managers of SUNY Korea, LLC, also gave congratulatory remarks to the graduating students: “I hope that graduates will not miss out on various opportunities after graduation and pioneer your lives to grow into global leaders. As a SUNY Korea alumnus, be a mentor to the fellow students still in college and help them in terms of their careers.” In addition, he mentioned that “Stony Brook University ranked the number one public university in the State of New York, and Fashion Institute of Technology is a world-known premier institution for education students in the fashion industry; we look forward to continually develop our relationship, and through cooperation with various partners, to provide the best education possible for the students.” On the same day, the FIT’s Fashion Design AAS Exhibition was held at the SUNY Korea Museum of Modern Costume. The theme of this year’s Fashion Design AAS Exhibition was “The 60’s.” Garments from the 1960s were conceptualized, designed, and hand sewn by our talented 2nd year students. Mark-Evan Blackman, the chair of the Fashion Design Department, stated that “[The students’] internationally recognized degree has provided them with an assortment of world-class skills, and their draping, flat-pattern, and hand-finishing sewing details will all be on full display.”         * FIT Fashion Design Department AAS Exhibition

The Simons Foundation’s contribution is the largest unrestricted endowment gift to a higher education institution in American history The Simons Foundation, a philanthropy working to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences, today announced a historic $500 million endowment gift to Stony Brook University during a news conference at the foundation’s Manhattan headquarters. This monumental gift — the combined largesse of the Simons Foundation and Simons Foundation International — is the largest unrestricted donation to an institution of higher education in U.S. history. The extraordinary gift is also expected to grow by up to $1 billion in contributions for Stony Brook University’s endowment by capitalizing on New York State’s 1:2 endowment matching program and other philanthropy inspired by this gift. This transformative donation will cement Stony Brook’s place as New York’s flagship research institution and provide the means to invest in areas most urgent and necessary to help sustain the university’s commitment to educational excellence, research innovation and community support. Investments stemming from this gift will have a direct and positive impact on perpetual funding for student scholarships, endowed professorships, innovative research, and excellent clinical care. Click here to read the original article.

  Professor Seung-Bok Choi (MEC) has received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 18th International Conference on Electrorheological Fluids and Magnetorheological Suspensions (ERMR2023), held in Chongqing, China from June 9 to 12 2023. He started his research from 1985 and is still actively working on design and control sectors utilizing ERF and MRS such controllable automotive suspension system. At this conference he delivered a plenary lecture entitled, “Design of a new rotary MR damper for suspension system of purpose-built vehicles”.   Professor Choi received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Inha University, and MS and PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University. He has served as the leading professor at SUNY Korea since March 2021.         

  College Students’ Mental Health; a crisis Mental health of college students is a global problem that requires serious attention by university administrators. According to a 2022 survey by Best Colleges, in the United States more that 77% of college students experienced moderate to severe psychological distress. This included anxiety (35%), depression (27%) as well as trauma, eating disorder and bipolar and substance use disorders. Another 2020–2021 Healthy Minds Study, which collects data from 373 campuses nationwide found more than 60% of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem.  The situation in Korea is similar. A 2022 published study by Daejeon University conducted on 260 Korean Female College Students in 2018 (Pre-COVID-19) found that 51.9% experience light to sever depression. The rate increased to 69.1% in 2020 (Post-COVID-19). Overall in 2020, South Korea's suicide rate was 25.7 which is more than double the OECD average of 11 per 100,000 population. Although lower than the rate for the elderly (101.4 per 100,000 population) grade school and college students in Korea have a higher than average suicide rate. Factors that affect suicide and suicide ideation are combinations of individual, family, and school factors. University education in Korea is very competitive. Students are constantly worried about their academic performance, grades, class rankings, etc. School-related influencing factors includes stress related to finding a job.  Several studies have suggested that critical communication by parents is an important family-related risk factor for suicidal ideation in Korean university students. Korean parents maintain a major influence on their children even after they are grown up. As a result, students who experience considerable critical communication from their parents that reduces their self-esteem, experience more suicidal ideation.  Dealing with mental health issues on university campuses requires a multifaced approach which includes university administrators, professors, students and students’ families.  Universities must ensure that students have access to high quality mental health care including psychological crisis intervention resources. The mental health care system in Korea can be hard to access and overwhelming for a student in crisis. A combination of on campus resources plus designated outside specialty clinics can help provide needed access.  Designing and implementing realistic programs tailored to students' academic majors to enhance their self-esteem and provide practical knowledge in dealing with academic stress will help students obtain a healthier school life emotionally as well as academically. For young adults, college can offer self-discovery, lifelong friendships, and a better understanding of the world. However, college life may also bring enormous social and emotional pressures. Being away from family and friends, unfamiliar environments can cause intense levels of loneliness.  Universities can help students navigate through these challenges by having programs that engages inspires and build friendly communities that students can feel safe and welcomed. Studies have also suggested that lack of physical exercise and adequate sleep are important factors for depression among students. Promoting a healthy life style should be an important part of student services programs.  Faculty paly a significant role in addressing mental health issues on University campuses. Universities must make sure faculty are adequately trained on how to identify students in distress and how to respond and refer them to mental health professionals. A study by Boston University School of public Health found that only 51 % have a good idea of how to recognize a student is in mental distress, with a mortify (61%) support mandatory training for faculty.  Finally, the role of families, particularly parents in student’s mental health is significant but more difficult to address by the universities. Education programs tailored to parents and families, such as brochures maybe effective methods for such communications.  Click here to read the article

  Briefly introduce yourself. Hello, my name is Chaeeun Lee and I am from Korea. I graduated from SUNY Korea FIT in May 2019, and after completing the AAS program I transferred to FIT in New York. I majored in Fashion Design and specialized in Knitwear. Why did you decide to study at SUNY Korea FIT?  The main reason I started the AAS program at SUNY Korea FIT was because of the language and environment. If I had gone directly to New York, I would have had to spend time adjusting to the language and environment, which might have affected my focus on school. However, at SUNY Korea, I was able to fully concentrate on my schoolwork with the help from the Korean faculty.  What made you decide to go to FIT New York Campus? Of course, I learned and experienced a lot at SUNY Korea FIT, but I believed that there were certain things that could only be learned at the New York campus. Firstly, as everyone knows, New York is renowned for its fashion industry, so the range of inspiration that can be seen and felt in both school and daily life is much broader. Additionally, I wanted to meet a more diverse group of students and professors at the New York campus to learn on a wider scale. I wanted to take classes not only with fashion design students but also with students from other majors and expand my opportunities to interact with them. Without hesitation, I applied to FIT's New York Campus. Could you explain the award you received and the Fashion Design BFA Program? In the Fashion Design BFA Program at FIT's New York campus, each year the graduating students' thesis works are evaluated, and one winner is chosen from each specialization class. During the final thesis course, a panel of critics, who have been working closely with us throughout the semester, evaluates our work. These critics are responsible for selecting one winner among us. The winners of the Critic's Award automatically get the opportunity to showcase their designs in a fashion show and have a separate exhibition. This year I was awarded the Critic Award from the knitwear category by the senior design director of knitwear at Coach, Stacey Tester.  To briefly explain the Fashion Design BFA Program semester by semester, in the first semester of the third year, students are exposed to all specializations within the fashion design department. This allows us to explore and determine which specialization suits us best. Courses cover sportswear, knitwear, intimate wear, special occasion and children’s wear. This is a time for us to reassess and discover our preferences. Starting from the second semester of the third year, we take specialized courses based on the specialization we have chosen. During this semester, we receive fundamental lessons specific to our chosen specialization. In the first semester of the fourth year, we go deeper into advanced courses related to our specialization and begin to develop our thesis topics and portfolios. Finally, in the last semester, we focus on further developing our thesis, applying everything we have learned throughout the program, and creating our own designs.   To view Chaeeun Lee's Workbook, CLICK HERE

  FIT is known globally for its world-class faculty of practitioners and scholars. The 2023 Faculty Recognition Celebration, held May 22 in the Haft Theater, honored the college’s esteemed faculty for their dedication to their students and research. President Joyce F. Brown and Yasemin Jones, acting vice president of Academic Affairs, presented SUNY and FIT awards. The FIT Faculty Excellence Award went to Sarah Blazer, interim director of the Writing and Speaking Studio; Todd Blumenthal, assistant professor of Fashion Business Management; Susanne Goetz, associate professor of Textile/Surface Design; Delphine Horvath, associate professor of Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing; and Brendan Leach, associate chair of the Illustration MFA program. Click here to read the original article.

  SUNY Korea's FIT graduate Chaeeun Lee won the Critics Award from the senior design director of knitwear at Coach, Stacey Tester on May 11, 2023. After receiving her AAS degree at SUNY Korea in Spring 2020, Chaeeun continued on to the BFA program at FIT NY. The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) holds an annual Future of Fashion runway show for the graduating Fashion Design class. This year the fashion show took place in Manhattan with a theme concentration on knitwear, sportwear, intimate apparel and special occasion.   To read the full story, please click here --> Fashionista Chaeeun Lee's Design Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images from Fashionista Article  

    SUNY Korea Mechanical Engineering students won the First Place and Honorable Mention awards in the 2023 IGC Research Showcase for Outstanding Presentation of Research Project in Poster Form. The 2023 Incheon Global Campus (IGC) Research Showcase, which took place on Monday May 22, was the first IGC universities’ showcase aimed to present their current works and learn about latest research topics with fellow professionals.  Sooho Lee, Sambridha Bhattarai, and Artham Bordoloi, advised by Professor Cornelius Bradter were awarded First Place in their “WildEye: Expeditionary Hexapod” research. The research was about designing and building an expeditionary hexapod, WildEye, to capture wildlife footage to help preserve the natural habitat and environment.  Design of the Hexapod Joonhyeong Kim and advisor Professor Eugene Pak presented their research on “Nano Mechanical Modeling of Virus Assembly Process”, which won the Honorable Mention award. Their research was about the study of mechanical properties of a viral capsid based on icosahedral structure, a study established by Casper & Lug, to explore the next upcoming epidemic.  The full-day event included faculty presentations, ninety undergraduate student poster presentations and competition, and a celebratory reception at the end of the Showcase. This 2023 IGC Research Showcase served as an academic forum that promotes research projects through academic networking among the four IGC universities. The entire IGC community was invited to learn and explore new approaches on the different types of studies.    

Stony Brook University alum Brenda Aguilar is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency’s unprecedented global evacuation in March 2020. The Peace Corps suspended global operations and evacuated nearly 7,000 volunteers from more than 60 countries at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read the original article.

  "If it wasn't hard everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it great." - Tom Hanks The CPA Study Group went on an educational field trip to Deloitte Korea on Tuesday, May 16. Around 15 students were able to learn about this company. Deloitte Anjin LLC, located in Seoul, Korea is one of the largest accounting firms that provides services in audit and assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, and tax. The students were also able to meet up with a SUNY Korea alumnus currently working at Deloitte.  The alumnus of the Business Management Department graduated from SUNY Korea in Summer 2021 and has been working at Deloitte Korea since then. He gave practical tips on how to manage time wisely during university life and how that helped to get his job at Deloitte Anjin LLC. The office tour session that was a part of the field trip provided a special opportunity for students to experience what it is like to work at a company. The mentorship from the SUNY Korea alumnus and the glimpse of office life have sparked students' motivation to study harder to achieve their USCPA certificate. The CPA Study Group was first launched in Spring 2022 with 20 students. Now with a total of 30 students, this study group provides superior sessions for those who want to become a CPA, and includes seminars, field trips, mentoring and advising from USCPA.  

Stony Brook University hosted its 63rd annual commencement ceremony May 19 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, providing graduates in the Class of 2023 with a memorable sendoff as they embark on the next chapter of their lives. “Futures — that’s really what a commencement ceremony is about, a moment to reflect as you move from one phase of your life to another,” said Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis in her commencement address, noting that over one-third of the graduates are the first in their families to attend college. “You have done so much in addition to your own growth as a student, scholar, and researcher, you have left an indelible mark on Stony Brook. No matter where your next pathway leads, I know you will be taking the spirit of Stony Brook with you, because you have demonstrated that to be a Seawolf is to care for your communities.” Click here to read the original article

  Jaclyn Jahn, a Stony Brook University School of Nursing student who will graduate on May 17, has been named a recipient of the 2023 Future Nurse Leader Award by the American Nurses Association – New York (ANA-NY). The Future Nurse Leader Award is given to students nominated by their respective school as outstanding students who demonstrate leadership, make significant contributions to their school, promote activity in nursing organizations, and embody the values and ethics of nursing. This year ANA-NY is awarding 17 students in New York State with the honor. Click here to read the original article.

On May 10, FIT presented the Future of Fashion Celebration and Honors, which included the Future of Fashion runway show and a festive after-party celebrating two special honorees, in addition to outstanding student work. The evening was hosted by supermodel and entrepreneur Ashley Graham and honored industry notables–designer and FIT alumnus Victor Glemaud and supermodel, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Karlie Kloss—as well as outstanding students. The event benefited the FIT Foundation, which supports college initiatives and student scholarships.  Following the runway show, more than 300 guests from the worlds of business and design adjourned to the reception, featuring music by DJ Lina. Click here to read the original article.