In the past 15 years, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) has developed and successfully implemented a plan to recruit, keep, and graduate minority students. The strategic plan that was developed in 1971 stressed attrition and placement as the only two criteria that would be used to measure institutional success. Minimizing attrition and ensuring placement required that an institutional climate be developed which was free from preconceived, condescending attitudes and which would make minorities feel welcome in the predominantly white college. Ongoing efforts to serve minorities include: (1) intensive recruitment campaigns involving community agencies and local high schools; (2) provision of student financial aid to most students; (3) education skills programs; (4) systematic efforts by placement counselors to respond to the special needs of minority graduates seeking jobs; and (5) special programs in Spanish and Chinese for non-English speakers. The success of these efforts is demonstrated by the increase in minority enrollments at FIT (from 3% in 1970 to 36% in 1986), low attrition rates among all FIT students, and high placement rates in the field for which the students are trained. (RO)