Identifier

UA 9.0

Dates

1900-2013

Extent

2.84 linear feet (3 boxes)

Abstract

The College of Family and Consumer Sciences prepare graduates for employment in formal and non-formal education, and community service by focusing on the interactions of family and their environment. The collection is composed of academic materials, clippings and releases, history material, photographs, scrapbooks and reports.

Historical Note

South Dakota State College was one of the first five land-grant institutions to have a formal department of Home Economics. Called Domestic Economy at its start in 1885, the four-year curriculum offered scientific training and a liberal and practical education for young women. In addition, the program purported to prepare young women for the important position of caring for the home.

By the late 1920's, many changes had occurred in the department. The name had changed to Home Economics in 1915, shortly after passage of the Smith-Lever Act. This act, along with the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917, called for land-grant universities to expand their services to the people of the states. Through programs in extension and education, which developed as a result of these two acts, Home Economics evolved into a much larger program. Enrollment grew as traditional classes in food, nutrition, clothing, and design were augmented by practical work in home management and the nursery school. By the close of the 1920s, many graduates had been placed as teachers in the public school system, which helped expand the department's influence in the state.

Little change occurred in the division until a new department, Child Development opened in 1945. The following year an additional department, Technical Journalism, was added to the Home Economics Division. Graduate courses were offered beginning in 1952, and in 1962, when South Dakota State College became South Dakota State University, the Home Economics Division became the College of Home Economics.

Over the next two decades, the college continued to evolve. In 1975, a core curriculum was developed for home economics, and in 1981, a specialized program was established to meet the needs of students in their careers in home economics education, extension, family, welfare and interior design. In 1994, the College of Home Economics became the College of Family and Consumer Sciences due to a nation-wide change brought on by a survey conducted by the American Home Economics Association.

The College of Family and Consumer Sciences prepares people for a variety of professional roles, which are interdisciplinary in nature. Some majors within the College are directly related to the family and its traditional functions, such as human development and family studies. With these majors, graduates are primarily prepared for careers in social service, community or government agencies, or business. Other majors are derived from functions that were traditionally performed by the family but now are often carried out by business and industry. Hotel, restaurant and institution management, apparel merchandising and interior design are examples of these majors.

General programs in the College prepare graduates for employment in formal and non-formal education, and community service. All programs in the College focus on the interactions of family and their environment.

Content Notes

This collection is composed of academic materials, clippings and releases, history material, photographs, scrapbooks and reports. The academic material deals mainly with the establishment of a core curriculum within the College. The clippings and releases are newspaper clippings and news releases about the college. The history material is a compilation of historical material and alumni memories of the College of Home Economics. Also included is correspondence, building plans, and lists of outstanding graduates.

The photographs include many miscellaneous photographs documenting the history of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences that were found loose in the collection or from dismantled scrapbooks. The photographs from the scrapbooks pertain to deans, research, education, nutrition and food science, and textiles, clothing and interior design.

The reports are composed mainly of annual reports to the president of the university and some federal reports to the U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare.

SDSU Archives and Special Collections

Follow this link for more information:

https://www.sdstate.edu/sdsu-archives-and-special-collections/university-archives

Language

English

Publisher

South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Rights

Copyright restrictions apply in different ways to different materials. Many of the documents and other historical materials in the Archives are in the public domain and may be reproduced and used in any way. There are other materials in the Archive carrying a copyright interest and must be used according to the provisions of Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The Archive issues a warning concerning copyright restrictions to every researcher who requests copies of documents. Although the copyright law is under constant redefinition in the courts, it is ultimately the responsibility of the researcher to properly use copyrighted material.

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