California Apparel News

Fashion educator Steven Frumkin died on July 23 in Miami, Fla., from COVID-19, according to a statement from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Frumkin had served as the dean of FIT’s Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology since 2012. His responsibilities included hiring research faculty members and helping to improve FIT’s academic standards. He also developed international programs such as SUNY Korea.

Frumkin was a lifelong learner. He earned a bachelors of science degree in textile marketing and management from Philadelphia University in 1970. He earned an MBA in marketing from Baruch College in 1977. Frumkin also participated in supply-chain-management programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MIT Sloan School of Management and, later, at Harvard University’s graduate school of education's development institute for management and leadership. In 2015, he earned a doctorate in business administration from Argosy University.

Dr. Joyce F. Brown, FIT’s president, said that Frumkin made a strong impact. “Through his leadership, he not only earned the trust, affection and respect of faculty, staff and students but also shaped the future of his school,” she said.

Frumkin’s family, along with the FIT community, established the Dean Steven Frumkin Scholarship Fund in his memory. He is survived by his children, Jacob and Sarabeth, their spouses and children.