Baker Scholars

In 2001, an unparalleled gift of $10 million from Jay and Patty Baker began an enduring relationship between the couple and FIT. The funds enabled the college to break ground on the first major campus building project in 25 years (the Conference Center at FIT and a state-of-the-art dining facility opened in September 2005). The donation also endowed 40 scholarships in perpetuity. The School of Business and Technology, which offers 13 majors and has more than 4,000 students, was named in the Bakers’ honor in 2006.

The Bakers’ donation set the high water mark for individual philanthropy at FIT. At the time, it was the largest gift to a SUNY community college and the second most generous personal contribution to any of the university’s 62 campuses. Jay Baker had a powerhouse career in retail, culminating in the presidency of Kohl’s Department Stores; he has found a way to keep an industry he loves vibrant by supporting both a great educational contributor to that industry and..