GCNYC celebrates third commencement
Glasgow Caledonian New York College (GCNYC) has hosted its third graduation ceremony.
Students studying Master’s-level International Fashion Marketing; Impact-Focused Business; and Risk, Resilience and Integrity Management celebrated their success with Joi Gordon, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Joi is on the Executive Board of Dress for Success, an international not-for-profit organisation that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. She is also CEO of Dress for Success Worldwide.
She told graduands to find where their "purpose and their passion intersect".
The night before commencement, the graduands also had the opportunity to present their Master’s-level research at a Dissertation Town Hall, in front of staff, faculty, their peers and members of the public.
It’s been a busy period for the GCNYC, which marked its two-year milestone of academic study by obtaining the status to open its doors to international students for the first time this autumn – making the College a global destination for corporate statesmen and women all around the world.
As the first foreign institution of higher education to receive degree-granting authority in New York, GCNYC has now hosted six post-graduate cohorts during the College’s first two years, across three unique, research-based Master’s degree programmes.
GCNYC’s student body is comprised of high-calibre professionals hailing from brands including Amazon, Bonobos, Calvin Klein, Citibank, Eileen Fisher, Jet Blue, New York State Assembly, Ralph Lauren, Tapestry, Theory, and WeWork.
They’ve also come to GCNYC with undergraduate degrees from ranked institutions such as Northwestern University, Cornell University, Yale, Villanova, University of Oregon, New York University, and University of South Carolina.
MS International Fashion Marketing graduate Emma Christensen: "GCNYC is more than a College – it is truly a family. It was an honour to walk across the stage today with my peers, knowing that we are heading out into the world to continue our work For the Common Good."
GCNYC Vice-President Cara Smyth said: “We were presented with a great challenge to offer something unique and bespoke, in one of the most educationally rich cities in the world, and we’ve done just that. At the intersection of profitability and sustainability, GCNYC’s Master’s programmes seek to harness the power of industry as a force for environmental, social and economic good.”
A large factor in the College’s early success is its world-renowned Fair Fashion Center, a research centre that facilitates actionable business solutions to the fashion industry’s most pressing and complex issues.
The Fair Fashion Center is home to the industry’s only CEO coalition, the members of which represent around 12% of the global industry. The research led by the Fair Fashion Center has contributed to the College’s learning loop – from industry to the classroom – providing foundation for some of the graduate research.
The College’s teaching faculty includes an Emmy Award-winning brand strategist from MTV, a sustainable finance strategy executive from Bloomberg, a CNBC contributor and managing director from a New York stock exchange firm, a member of the strategic Partnerships executive team at Google, the former COO at Ridgemont, marketing strategists from Ogilvy and a former United Nations consultant.