Open doors = opportunity. That is our mindset and our culture at Stevens – The Institute of Business & Arts, where we incorporate a campus-wide open-door policy from the moment you first visit us. Open doors create pathways for easy communication among students, faculty, administration, alumni, and community partners. To us, an open door is more than an invitation to “Come on in!” It’s a challenge to explore new ideas and possibilities.

Accessibility to administrative staff at Siba begins in Admissions where prospective students have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with our Director of Admissions as soon as you apply so that there is already a relationship established even before your application is evaluated. We want to make the admissions/acceptance process as stress-free as possible for you.

We also know that navigating the world of financial aid can be intimidating to even the most experienced students, so our Financial Aid Director is readily available for both existing and prospective students for one-on-one meetings to help you complete your FAFSA, to explain the types and amounts of aid available to you, and provide the personalized information you need to make the best decisions about how to use your aid effectively. At Siba you will never have to figure it out by yourself.

Siba’s Academic Dean and Registrar, Dr. Emilee Schnefke, meets with all students every term so that she can help you plan a class schedule that meets your academic goals and works with your other commitments outside of school. At Siba you will never have to make your own schedule, so you will never end up off-track for graduation because you forgot to take a required class or took a class you didn’t need to graduate. Because Siba is so small, we are able to accommodate your ideal pace, whether you want to attend full-time and graduate as quickly as possible, or take things a little slower to allow more time for work or other personal responsibilities.

Accessibility to faculty members is an integral part of the culture at Siba. With an average class size of just nine (9) students, your instructors will know your name by the end of the first week of class. Siba instructors take an active interest in learning your goals and strengths and sharing their wealth of knowledge, which can uncover new skills and passions. Siba instructors also take notice when a student is struggling with a particular subject matter, and will offer extra help or tutoring when necessary. You will never feel alone or unnoticed in this community, that’s for sure!

Siba’s Department Heads not only keep their own doors open for students, but they also open doors in the professional world. With long-standing ties to the fields in which they teach, many students’ first introductions to their dream career come through their Department Head. Projects with real clients, portfolio reviews with industry leaders, field trips, and networking events are just some of the ways our program leadership help guide you on your path.

“In the Fashion program, many instructors including the Department Head, Lynne Wasson, are members of FGI (Fashion Group International) which gives students accessibility to the movers and shakers in the fashion community,” said Danielle Calcara, Retail Management/Fashion Merchandising student.

We know that life doesn’t always offer an open door to everyone at all times. But if you are enrolled at Siba, you will see that ALL of our doors are open to you, and it is our mission to open doors to your new career as often as we can.

New students for Fall: join us for Orientation!

Get to know more about Siba with informational sessions, opportunites to meet college leadership, as well as your peers, and a fun scavenger hunt at City Museum! Sign up by September 3rd to get in on the fun. Questions? Message an admissions representative today or call (314) 421-0949!

Get a head start on your educational goals and join us for our Summer quarter! Our exciting orientation event is set for new students on June 18th!

Not signed up yet? Join us for the Summer term starting July 8th! All programs are enrolling now.
Contact an Admisssions Representative today! 

We’ve seen it happen more than once here at Siba—a student enrolls in a program with a very specific career goal in mind, and while in school, decides to change paths because a particular project or class introduces them to a previously unknown passion.  And thus they are launched on a whole new trajectory. That was the case for Kinley Brady, the subject of this Siba Spotlight.

In 2018, while working toward her Associate’s degree in Retail Management/Fashion Merchandising, Brady was enrolled in Siba’s Fashion Promotion class. Her instructor, Brainchild Events CEO Dwight Carter, introduced the class project, which happened to be the entire production behind his Pins & Needles event, a well-known and longstanding design competition in the St. Louis region.

Brady’s assignment was to create the flyers for the show: “I had no prior experience with this sort of thing, but I really enjoyed making things come together on a page.”

Her work impressed her instructor so much that he invited Brady to intern for his company, Brainchild Events, so that she could help him with other projects he was producing. Among the items on her to-do list were social media, creating graphics, event planning, and managing events, and Carter said she accepted every task with enthusiasm. Coincidentally, Brady was also finishing up her Retail/Fashion degree when she discovered an equally strong passion for the graphic design tasks she’d been assigned. “I figured if I was enjoying doing a lot of graphics [for Brainchild Events], I might as well hone my craft. So far, graphic design and fashion kind of come together beautifully for me.”

That is when Brady decided to create her own unique educational resume by combining her newly earned AAS in Retail/Fashion with with an Associate’s degree in Graphic Design. She continues to intern for Brainchild Events, bringing new artistic skills and techniques to the table each time she completes another academic term.

Her boss, Dwight Carter, sees a lot of potential in Brady, “She can take an idea and communicate it very well through her artwork. I have never had anyone on my team that could design a flyer, poster and social media posts from scratch.”

Fitting in her homework with such a multi-faceted job takes effort, “Balancing school & work can be a struggle sometimes. I had a really hard time with it at first, but over the course of the last few months I've started to find a system that works for me when it comes to doing both. I make sure I do a little bit of work each day, and most weeks I wait until the weekend to do my homework.”

So what’s on the horizon for Brady and the rest of the team at Brainchild Events? That would be the second installment of Fashion Anarchy, a new event that challenges local designers to create a look inspired by St. Louis’ Garment District in just 48 hours. On July 18^th, Siba will host the VIP reception for the competition, with the main show immediately following at St. Louis Fashion Fund, just a few doors down from the college. According to Brady, it’s an event you don’t want to miss, “The designers only have two days to create something, so it's a HUGE time crunch and can be a really great challenge as well as a learning experience for them. It's amazing to see the end results.”

When asked about her future goals, it’s no surprise Brady is looking forward to something with a little variety. “I really can’t see myself settling into one thing. In ten years, I hope to be self-employed, working on projects that incorporate the worlds of both fashion & graphics” We at Siba are so excited to see where Kinley’s path takes her!

Come shop some amazing vendors offering vintage apparel, jewelry, handcrafted gifts, sweet treats and more!

If you are interested in becoming a vendor, the registration fee is $40 which supports the Siba Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)(3). Vendor details here: http://bit.ly/2W1X0bA.