Celebrating Our Roots: 100 Years of Home Economics at Penn State
An exhibit, "Celebrating Our Roots: 100 Years of Home Economics at Penn State," explores the history of home economics at Penn State, from the establishment of the Department of Home Economics in 1907 through the 1960s when it was a College of Home Economics, offering multiple degree options. It celebrates the people, places and programs that were a part of home economics at Penn State through photos and memorabilia, representing various aspects of the home economics curriculum, including home art, clothing and textiles, foods and nutrition, hotel and institutional administration, commercial consumer services, child development, and home management. The display also includes home economics faculty and administration, buildings and places, and the "early years" of home economics.
The exhibit is part of the Home Economics Alumni Reunion and 100-Year Celebration, which is sponsored by the College of Health and Human Development. The reunion is scheduled for April 27-28, 2007. "Because the College of Home Economics is a forerunner of the College of Health and Human Development, the reunion will celebrate our roots," said Fred Vondracek, interim dean of the College of Health and Human Development. "The College of Health and Human Development's focus—improving the quality of life of individuals, families, and communities—was of utmost importance to the home economics faculty and students who came before us."
"Celebrating Our Roots: 100 Years of Home Economics at Penn State" is on display in the Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library, April 25 through July 25, 2007, and contains over 100 photographs and items from the collections of the Penn State University Archives.