PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN PRESENTS
LEONARD LAUDER, OF ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES, INC.,
AT THE SECOND ANNUAL STEPHAN WEISS LECTURE

Parsons School of Design's Department of Design and Management is pleased to announce the second annual Stephan Weiss Lecture in Business Strategy & Negotiation, featuring Leonard Lauder, Chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. Lauder, the son of company founders Estée and Joseph Lauder, has been credited with much of the company's success, including its expansion to Harrods of London, and its acquisition of several new brands. The lecture will take place on May 6th at 6:30 pm in the Ballroom at the W Hotel, Union Square, 201 Park Avenue, NYC.

The Annual Stephan Weiss Memorial Lecture was launched last year to commemorate the life of the late artist and sculptor, Stephan Weiss. Husband and business partner of fashion designer Donna Karan, Stephan Weiss was known for both his extraordinary creativity and his business acumen. A co-founder of Donna Karan International in 1984, Weiss had no formal business training yet went on to cultivate and direct one of the most successful American fashion houses in history.

"Stephan's innovative vision and leadership steered our company to long-term success," said Dean Randy Swearer. "He approached business as a creative challenge. We've created a forum in which today's visionaries can share their insights with tomorrow's leaders, and I'm excited that Leonard will be a part of this year's exchange."

The Annual Stephan Weiss Lecture is made possible with the generous funding of The Karan-Weiss foundation. The lectureship will be part of Parsons Design and Management B.B.A. Program. Helping develop leaders who can act effectively in both the marketplace and in public forum, The Design and Management program at Parsons School of Design is the first and only undergraduate program of its kind in the country.

****

Parsons School of Design, a division of New School University, is one of the largest degree-granting colleges of art and design in the nation. Currently enrolled are about 2,400 undergraduate students, 500 graduate students, and 2,500 non-degree students from all 50 of the United States and from 60 countries. Parsons' main campuses are located in New York City's Greenwich Village and Midtown Manhattan. In addition, Parsons has affiliate schools in Paris, France; Kanazawa, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; and at Altos de Chavon in the Dominican Republic. Undergraduate degrees are offered in Architectural Design, Communication Design, Design and Management, Design and Technology, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Illustration, Interior Design, Photography, Product Design. Graduate degrees are granted in Architecture, Design and Technology, Lighting Design, Painting and Sculpture, Photography, and the History of Decorative Arts. For further information on Parsons, call 212-229-8910 or visit the Web site at www.parsons.edu.