The College of Human Ecology is wrapping up its year of centennial celebrations with a look into the future.
As part of a daylong celebration the college will highlight past and current research by its faculty, alumni and students, offer 13 mini-courses on a variety of topics under the human ecology umbrella and explore the future of the college Saturday.
“It’s been a year of real reward and celebrating our history, celebrating what we are at this time,” said the college’s dean, Shirley Baugher.
Last April, the college held a centennial celebration intended to highlight its history. Saturday’s celebration is geared toward the future.
“We’re really looking at how our faculty is contributing to the future of our college and the future of society,” said Marilyn DeLong, a design, housing and apparel professor who will be teaching one of the mini-courses.
The 20-minute-long mini-courses will offer a sampling of the various areas of the college’s research and teachings. Each of the college’s four departments set up at least two mini-courses. The courses will range from children’s involvement in household tasks by the family social science department, to a chocolate exploration by the Food Science and Nutrition department.
“I hope (people) come away with a feeling of a vital and dynamic college that is teaching and doing research and outreach that really does improve the human condition,” said Becky Yust, head of the department of design, housing and apparel.
Independent scholar and futurist Joel Barker will explore the future of the human condition during a presentation in McNeal Hall.
Organizers are expecting about 200 people to attend the event, said Lori Mollberg, the college’s director of alumni relations.
The college, originally called the home economics department in 1900, grew from two students to 849 undergraduate and 320 graduate students in 1999. It now houses four departments: the department of design, housing and apparel, the department of family social science, the department of food science and nutrition and the school of social work.

Fabiana Torreao welcomes comments at [email protected]