The mission of the Butte College Fashion Program is to provide high quality education and services to the community. The Fashion Program prepares students for careers related to working within the Fashion industry. It provides students the opportunity to discover the inner workings of the industry, including the design concept, construction of product, and the distribution and sales of merchandise, from the designer and manufacturing level through the retail level and ultimately, to the consumer.
The Butte College Fashion Program is housed within the Art Department. The Fashion Program offers an AS Degree and a Certificate of Achievement in Fashion Merchandising, a Certificate I Clothing Construction, and a Certificate in Fashion Design. Each semester three to five courses are offered. Fashion courses are taught by two to three Associate faculty members. The program has a classroom dedicated to clothing design and construction, ARTS 241, and another classroom, ARTS 246, for lecture classes. The program is well equipped with 18 sewing machines, an embroidery machine, 15 dress forms, and cutting and pattern making equipment and furniture. Each year Fashion students have an opportunity to display their work in the Butte College Fashion Show held in May.
Based on the Validation Team recommendation that the Fashion Program needed more leadership and support, the program has been moved under the Art department. It is receiving support from Chair, Daniel Donnelly and fulltime faculty to improve its programs and student success.
In response to the Validation Team recommendation that the Fashion program enhance their curriculum and currency, program faculty have been meeting with Fiber Arts faculty to design new curriculum and degree/certificates that will meet the needs of students. Research is underway to insure that students learn the latest in fashion design technologies.
Fashion program faculty, is establishing articulation agreements with San Francisco State, Sacramento State, and Long Beach State as the Validation Team recommended.
The Validation Team recommended that the District support the Fashion Program’s strategic scheduling by allowing at least 6 classes to be offered each semester so that students can progress through the program without delay. The AS Degree in Fashion Merchandising is being streamlined. The program has asked for the development of a part-time pool so there are enough faculty members to teach the required courses in a timely manner. The program will implement an outreach plan increase student demand once its restructure is complete and new advertising materials can be created.
The Validation Team recommended that one of the required courses CSCI 2 be replaced by BCIS 18 in the Fashion Merchandising AS Degree and Certificate. This recommendation will not be implemented due to streamlining efforts.
The Validation Team recommended that the Fashion Program reach out to the junior and senior high schools to develop interest in Butte College’s Fashion program. As mentions above, outreach activities will occur after program restructure.
The Validation Team recommended the Fashion program enhance student advisement. While some student advisement can occur as part of course work, quality time spent with students to discuss their career goals and recommend course pathways is difficulty for Associate faculty members to supply without compensation.
The Validation Team recommended that the Fashion program insure that students have a public forum for demonstrating their work. The program continues to meet this recommendation by offering FASH 90, Fashion Promotions, once a year to allow students an opportunity to obtain an organized course of study in fashion show experience.
The Validation Team recommended that the Fashion Show “close the loop” in their assessing and reporting of SLO/PLOs in Curricunet. The Chair informed the program that this is no longer necessary, though area meetings for SLO/PLO Assessment should continue.
Strategy 1 - Support Fashion student's success and completion
Collaborate to develop a Guided Pathway(s) that are clear and navigable for students. Evaluate course and program level SLO's to insure that objectives are appropriate and support for completion is given. Establish articulation agreements with university Fashion programs. Employ current technologies. Meet with Fashion Advisory Board annually. Offer Fash 90 and hold a Fashion Show once a year.
This strategy is currently underway. Thus far we have:
What remains to be accomplished:
The Fashion Program has gone through a rough period in terms of enrollment and student success in the past 6 years. In Fall 2014 six sections were offered with a total of 88 students. In Fall 2015, 2016, and 2017 student enrollments (and sections) dropped precipitously to a low of 39 students. The program discovered that some local high schools had cut their fashion classes and were not advising students that there were fashion opportunities at Butte. The good news is that enrollments have risen back to their original numbers - Fall 2018 there were 5 sections serving 83 students.
As mentioned above, in the past three years there has been only one student complete the AS in Fashion Merchandising. This low achievement level is due in large part to scheduling- some required courses in Business were only offered at night, and some Fashion courses were cut due to low enrollment, or lack of faculty to teach in the program. On the other hand, 13 students completed Fashion certificates. By streamlining and creating career pathways for students, maintaining communication with Business Education faculty on scheduling, and active student advisement, program faculty members believe the Fashion Program will experience increased student success.
The program is sensitive to the goals and needs of students. In a joint meeting of the Fashion and Fiber Arts faculty it was recognized by all that there are many connections between Fashion and Textile Arts, and that textile production is a primary source of cultural development on the earth. The alliance will allow students to create unique textiles through weaving, felting, and surface design, etc., that can be used in individually designed, sewn wearable, home and fashion applications. There is potential for future careers in a developing local textile industry, along with agricultural production of flax and wool, and construction of a mini-textile mill. Currently, there are only off-shore textile mills.
In addition, program faculty recognize the continually changing nature of the Fashion industry and need for currency in training and technology. Establishing articulation agreements with universities will meet the needs of those students who wish to transfer, while other students may wish to move directly into the fashion industry with their AS degree in hand. In either case, the Fashion Program wishes to provide high quality preparation for the Fashion Industry.
Strategy 2 - Expand Fashion Program enrollment
Encourage existing students to work toward a degree and/or certificate by advising them about careers in fashion and course progression. Establish a system to track fashion student progress. Market program and potential careers to local high school students, Butte College students not already taking fashion classes, and the community. Participate in Arts Building outreach-tours led by chair Daniel Donnelly.
Existing students should be made aware of the career options and the value of a degree/certificate in Fashion. Many have taken over half the courses and need only a few to complete a certificate or degree. In addition, potential Fashion program students should be made aware of the degrees, certificates, and course offerings at Butte College. A local opportunity to earn a degree in fashion is advantageous to many local students who would have to move to a major metropolitan area such as Sacramento, San Francisco, or Los Angeles to enroll in a fashion program. Participation by the Fashion program in department-wide outreach efforts will make the program known to the community.
The Fashion Program requests full support from the Counseling Office in accurate advisement information for students regarding the Fashion Program.
The Fashion Program also requests support via informal training on new technology within the ARTS department that is applicable to fashion (i.e. textile printer and large-format paper printer(s))
The Fashion Program earns revenue for its Foundation account by profits from ticket sales to their annual fashion show. Amount can vary. Last year the department made $150. Typically this fund exists as start-up money for the following year's show.
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Fashion | Personnel | 11-000-512-1-130310 | $0.00 | $2,000.00 | |
| Stipends for Fashion Show managers | The annual fashion show to showcase student work requires an additional 100+ hours of work by faculty members to coordinate multiple activities related to the production of the show, as well as guide students who are learning how to produce a special event. This includes building stages, lighting, painting and other projects. |
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| 2 | Equipment | 11-000-512-1-130310 | $450.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Pipe and Drape Setup | For use during outreach marketing as well as the annual Fashion Show and visual merchandising displays. |
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| 3 | Equipment | 11-000-512-1-130310 | $700.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Quartet Oval Office Fabric Bulletin Boards (6 ea.) | These boards are used in the fashion lab for sewing and pattern making to protect existing equipment and for additional work surfaces that require being pinned into. CONSIDER FOR PERKINS FUNDING: 1303.00-FASHION |
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| 4 | Fashion | Equipment | 11-000-512-1-061460 | 56411 | $11,725.00 | $0.00 |
| 18 Viking Opal 650 Sewing Machines (599.00 each) | Our sewing machines are 11 years old and have been repaired multiple times since they were purchased in 2009. The local repair shop has closed and the machines must be transported to Citrus Heights for repairs. |
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| 5 | Fashion | Personnel | 11-000-512-1-130310 | $0.00 | $720.00 | |
| Student Assistant - Clothing/Costume Construction | Supporting a Fashion student to work as an assistant in clothing/costume construction would have two benefits - Students in Fashion classes would have more individual attention, and success, and the Fashion student assistant would have a valuable experience assisting students, which would help to prepare them for a teaching career. |
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