Stephanie Butta, a fifth-semester student majoring in Fashion Merchandising Management at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), has been named a recipient of the first SUNY Emerging Leader Awards. The news was announced by State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher.
The SUNY Emerging Leader Awards acknowledge students who have best demonstrated significant leadership on campus and within their community. Butta received her honor in the Entrepreneurial Century category, an integral part of the Power of SUNY program, which has been designed to foster ideas and actions that improve the lives of New York State residents.
In addition to her studies, Butta is a student ambassador/aide in FIT’s Student Life department and president of the Merchandising Society, FIT's largest club. Her entrepreneurial endeavors include arranging for associates from Macy’s to address the student body.
Butta earned her AAS in Fashion Merchandising Management from FIT in 2011, and is currently working toward a BS degree in the same major, with an anticipated graduation date of May 2013. Butta, an Old Bridge, NJ, native, holds a 3.62 grade point average.
The Emerging Leader Awards have recognized 17 students from 14 SUNY campuses in its inaugural year. The recipients were selected for bolstering the Power of SUNY’s strategic efforts in six areas: Seamless Education Pipeline, Healthier New York, Energy-Smart New York, Vibrant Community, the World, and Entrepreneurial Century. To be eligible for the award, students must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 and have been nominated on their campuses.
“We are proud to offer this new award, which recognizes SUNY students who have proven to be leaders in the areas that SUNY has identified as the driving tenets of its own strategic plan,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “Our first group of emerging leaders has set the bar high for future honorees: decreasing campus energy use, promoting a charitable blood drive, and even helping usher local students through the GED and community college enrollment processes. Congratulations to all of our emerging leaders.”
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating approximately 468,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with nearly 3 million alumni around the globe.
FIT is a leader in career education in art, design, business, and technology, with a wide range of programs that are affordable and relevant to today’s rapidly changing industries.
