1. WELCOME Welcome to your career at FIDM! Our talented and diverse staff supports our students and facilitates their success through technology and commitment to improvement. Our mission statement is: FIDM’s focused curriculum integrates creative and leadership skills to develop graduates for the global industries of fashion, visual arts, interior design, and entertainment. Combined with these skills, FIDM graduates value ethical choice, demonstrate an awareness of cultural diversity, communicate effectively, think critically, and possess the knowledge of technology essential to their professions. Before you learn about your new home, the Information Technology (IT) department, it is important for you to understand FIDM’s history, organization, and goals. We’re excited to have you here with us!

2. HISTORY College History and Background The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) is an internationally recognized and respected college. FIDM is a WASC and NASAD accredited, coeducational, specialized, private college with campuses in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Orange County, California. In the beginning, we were urban pioneers, starting a one-of-a-kind college with two downtown Los Angeles classrooms in 1969. As of 2006, we’ve grown to four campuses with a student body of over 5, 500 students from 30 countries and over 30,000 graduates. Our driving force has been to keep focused on our goal: Creating an educational environment where students can learn and grow, a place that fuses student desires with career realities.

3. HISTORY We never lose sight of this goal. We talk to industry leaders and get feedback from our graduates. For more than 35 years, we’ve had our fingers on the pulse of emerging industry needs. It is a wonderful process of give and take between FIDM and the community. Our graduates are part of that community. FIDM graduates go on to: Own thriving fashion, graphics, and interior design firms Merchandising and buying for major department stores Work as cosmetics executives Manage shopping centers Design sportswear, textiles, and haute couture Create costumes for Oscar-nominated films Give Barbie her latest look

4. HISTORY …along with many other careers and successes! We’re proud of our students and their accomplishments. From the clothes you wear, the perfume you apply, the websites you surf, and the sheets you sleep on, FIDM graduates may have created them for you! FIDM is also deservedly proud of our faculty. Besides teaching, they’re responsible for exciting and meaningful work in their fields. Our instructors are fine artists, production managers, costume designers, manufacturing consultants, marketing consultants, entrepreneurs who own successful design firms, and industry executives. FIDM students draw from their expert insights and connections daily. At FIDM, we’re hands-on and industry focused. We’re small enough to know our students by name and big enough to have the contacts and resources to help them reach their goals. FIDM doesn’t just prepare students for a job; we prepare them for a successful career.

6. ORGANIZATION

7. FIDM.EDU FIDM.edu FIDM’s web site at http://www.fidm.edu contains information about the school’s majors, campuses, virtual tours, admissions, and other valuable resources for prospective students. FIDM.com connects its visitors to other FIDM managed web sites, such as promadvice.com and fashionclub.com, to increase the school’s web visibility. The site is also a great way to familiarize you with the most recent FIDM news and accomplishments. We recommend that you visit the site to learn more about FIDM and its commitment to students.

8. BRANCH LOCATIONS FIDM has continued to grow throughout the years in size and scope. In the 1980’s, when it became obvious that we needed a home to call our own, we began planning our new main campus in downtown Los Angeles. Since then, FIDM has grown to four great campuses: Los Angeles – FIDM Los Angeles is fashion central and at the heart of a city that dominates the entertainment, retail, manufacturing, interior design, and graphic design industries. Opened in 1990, our architecturally stunning main campus is nestled in the quiet 4-acre, Grand Hope Park with its mosaic water fountains, ivy-covered arbor walks, and metal sculptures. This landmark downtown site is only steps away from the bustling garment district, the International Jewelry Center, and the California Mart (the country’s largest year-round mart with 2,000 showrooms). It also houses the world-renowned Hollywood Costume Collection and the FIDM Museum and Galleries.