Pedagogy and Professional Development

Creating Community Connections through a Joint Venture with a Trade Association: A Six-Year Retrospective of What We’ve Learned

---

Abstract

In the current climate of government funding cuts and competition to attract a declining population of traditional students, universities are embracing a philosophy of connecting the university to the community. Fashion merchandising programs that reside within Family and Consumer Sciences departments have historically maintained links with their communities. FCS adopted a mission of promoting the well being of individuals, families and communities, so embedding FCS programs within their communities proved to be a philosophy ahead of its time. For fashion merchandising programs, internships were a logical tool for creating these community connections and complying with university mandates.

Keywords: Internships, community connections

How to Cite:

Buckland, S. S. & Jennings Rentenaar, T., (2013) “Creating Community Connections through a Joint Venture with a Trade Association: A Six-Year Retrospective of What We’ve Learned”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 70(1).