Regardless of their major--fashion, textile, retailing or environmental design--most design students spend as much time working in the studio as they spend in their residence hall rooms or apartments. A comfortable, well-equipped work space is an important part of their learning environment. Thanks to a generous gift from Nautica Enterprises Inc., design students in Syracuse University's College for Human Development now have a state-of-the-art work space in the school's new Nautica Design Studio, Room 005 of Slocum Hall.
Harvey Sanders, chairman and CEO of Nautica Enterprises Inc., will formally open the room during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. March 22. The ceremony will coincide with Sanders' Genet Lecture presentation, "Developing New Business," at 3:30 p.m. in the Sue Ann Genet Auditorium, Room 108 of Slocum Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public.
The Nautica Design Studio is a multipurpose room that students from different disciplines can use at the same time, says Karen Bakke, chair of the Department of Retail Management and Design Technologies. The new space resulted from combining rooms 003 and 005. The renovations were completed last summer and students began using the new studio during the Fall 2000 semester.
"It's wonderful to design one's own studio space to accommodate one's needs. The room is equipped with enough locker space for four studio classes. We have four sinks, a washer and dryer, a substantial number of tables, and enough wiring and electrical outlets to accommodate sewing machines, light boxes and computers," says Bakke.
Perhaps the best feature of the new studio is the installation of new chairs. Chairs are extremely important in classroom ergonomics, Bakke says, noting that students sit through studio classes that last three to four hours. "I was determined that if I ever got to design a studio from scratch, I would select chairs that could be comfortably sat in for long periods of time. The students are delighted with the new Nautica blue chairs, which arrived during the fall semester."
Sanders' arrival on March 22 will be his third visit to SU. He presented his first Genet Lecture in 1996. During the 1997 Parents' Weekend, Sanders returned to SU for a Nautica fashion show that featured the company's fall collection. The fashion show was sponsored by the Genet Lecture Series.
Nautica Enterprises Inc. is a public company traded on NASDAQ. Through its subsidiaries, the company designs, sources, markets and distributes apparel under the following brands: Nautica, Nautica Competition, Nautica Jeans Co., John Varvatos, E. Magrath and Byron Nelson.
Sanders has been with the company since 1971, when it was called State-O-Maine Inc., a public apparel firm specializing in the design, manufacture and distribution of men's robes and loungewear. He started his career as a sales trainee, worked his way up the corporate ladder and was named CEO in 1977.
In 1984, State-O-Maine Inc. acquired Nautica International Inc. In July 1993, State-O-Maine Inc. changed its name to Nautica Enterprises Inc. The company has emerged to become one of the world's best-known apparel and lifestyle brands. Under Sanders' leadership, the company has developed new markets and expanded the range of products from a complete men's apparel collection to apparel for women and children, and products for the home.
