OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

The UCD department of Textiles and Clothing has been ridiculed by the Dean of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences for being "old fashioned." Deeming fashion theory and the like as old news, something that people are not interested in anymore. News flash Dean Neal Van Alfen, this topic is actually considered a "new approach" in New York. Yes, New York, one of fashion's capitals. Parsons The New School for Design, will launch its Master of Fine Arts program in Fashion Design and Society as well as the Master's Degree in Fashion Studies this coming September initiated by Donna Karan herself. Scholarships are also available due to a gift from the famous Diane Von Furstenberg. Women's Wear Daily calls these degrees, "new approaches to the field that are interdisciplinary to help [students] better understand the new global marketplace" (Feb 4, 2010). Davis has been promoting its interdisciplinary aspect of the textiles graduate studies for years, and it is even more disciplinary than The New School for Design. We have textile science, fiber and polymer science, fashion theory, psychology, sociology, cultural studies, and more all working together on projects to promote a working together of different disciplines to accomplish wide-scale tasks. Case and point, this being a reason to dissolve our department doesn't fly, just ask Donna Karan.