Edwards, Cecile H.

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Howard University: Digital Howard

New DirectionsVolume 2 | Issue 1 Article 411-1-1974SCHOOL OF HUMAN ECOLOGY: NewOpportunities for Study and CareerCecile H. EdwardsFollow this and additional works at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirectionsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Howard @ Howard University. It has been accepted for inclusion in New Directions byan authorized administrator of Digital Howard @ Howard University. For more information, please contact lopez.matthews@howard.edu.Recommended CitationEdwards, Cecile H. (1974) "SCHOOL OF HUMAN ECOLOGY: New Opportunities for Study and Career," New Directions: Vol. 2:Iss. 1, Article 4.Available at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol2/iss1/426 A new academic unit, the School of Hu-man Ecology, was launched at HowardUniversity on July 1, 1974. Its base is theprograms in home economics which haveexisted at the University for many years.Two new programs-Macroenvironmentaland Population Studies, and InternationalStudies in Human Ecology-will providenew.opportun ities for study and careers.Human ecology is defined as the inter-action of man with his near environment.The new School is an interdisciplinaryacademic unit of the University whichseeks to train individuals who are skilledin techniques for coping with problemsassociated with the near environment andmotivated to work with families to helpthem solve their problems. Its mission isimprovement of the qual ity of life.Greater population density, unrest, riotand rebellion, the groping for identity byour youth, mounting environmental pollu-tion, the merging roles of women and menin both family and community settings,and increased physical and mental stresscaused by noise, crowding, and emotion-al strain are problems associated withliving in the third trimester of the 20thCenturyChanging community composition anddilemmas created by diversity in eco-nomic, educational and cultural back-grounds equally tax ability to withstandstress. The problems of the inner citybind individuals in a vicious cycle whichsubmerges their potential for contributingfully to society.Hunger, malnutrition, inadequate hous-ing, juvenile delinquency, drug addiction,and the energy crisis are formidable ad-versaries which have created crises infamily life. One must face the reality thatdisadvantaged groups must find successin coping with these and other problemsin the home before they can serve asmeaningful human resources in commu-nity development. It is in this area that thenew School will concentrate its ef-forts using multi and interdisciplinaryapproaches.School of Human EcologyNew Opportunities for Study and CareerBy Cecile H. EdwardsThe School will place emphasis uponthe family as a viable entity in the en-hancement of the quality of living. It willfocus on helping people to help them-selves. Through research by its facultyand students, distinct and innovative ap-proaches to problems of the disadvan-taged will be sought.The School, therefore, will address tothe uti Iization of human and material re-sources tomeet human needs. Itwill sharethe obi igation of all institutions of highereducation in providing a broad knowl-edge for living in close harmony with theenvironment. More importantly, it willfocus on enhancing the capacity of theindividual and the family unit to improvethe environment and the quality of life.This will be done through an interdisci-plinary approach, working cooperativelywith other units of the University. Inthese respects, the School of HumanEcology is unique. Its objectives are to:• Provide knowledge and skills leadingto the development of the capacity foreffective human service and creative con-tributions in fields related to family inter-action with the near environment.• Search for and apply knowledge relat-ing to human development in the fulfill-ment of human potential throughout thelife span.• Maximize understanding, manage-ment, and utilization of human and mater-ial resources as a base for programs forimprovement in the quality of life-withparticular emphasis on energy and con-sumer products, including shelter, interiorfurnishings and equipment, clothing, andfood.• Prepare for positions of leadership infamily problem-solving, particularly in theinner city, but also in urban and suburbancommunities.• Marshall the resources of the Univer-sity and the community in transdisciplin-ary approaches to improvement of thequality of life of all people.• Serve as a national and internationalcenter in family resource developmentILLUSTRATION BY MICHAEL PLAn 1Edwards: SCHOOL OF HUMAN ECOLOGY: New Opportunities for Study and CareerPublished by Digital Howard @ Howard University,where training is provided at the under-graduate and graduate levels.• Search for innovative and effective ap-proaches to the improvement of the qual-ity of the near environment and motivationof people toward more satisfying relation-ships within the home and the community.Degrees Offered in Six AreasThe mission of the new School will be ac-complished through programs leading tothe Bachelor of Science degree in thefollowing six areas:1. Community Service Education, withmajors in home economics, communityservice and home economics teaching.2. Human Development, with majors inhuman development, early childhoodeducation (infancy through preschool),and famiIy stud ies.3. Human Nutrition and Food,with majorsin human nutrition and food, food pro-motion and testing, institution foodservice administration, and dietetics.4. International Studies in Human Ecol-ogy (a minor is offered).5. Macroenvironmental and PopulationStudies, with majors in populationstudies and macroenvironmentalstudies.6. Microenvironmental Studies and De-sign, with majors in fashion fundamen-tals, textiles, environmental design,and interior design.Graduate programs are being plannedin each of these areas, including newdoctoral programs in humandevelopment·and human ecology. At present, the Doc-tor of Philosophy degree in nutrition isbeing offered.The new program in Macroenvironmen-tal Studies will focus on the physical en-vironment, both urban and rural. The pro-gram will be concerned with air, noise,and water pollution and factors whichcontrol the degradation, maintenance,and enhancement of environmentalquality.The Population Studies program will in-clude population dynamics, demography,and a consideration of problems, resuItingfrom the population explosion.The program in International Studieswill give emphasis to world food, social,and economic problems, internationallaw, cultural studies, and ecologicalrelationships.The curricula of human ecology willprovide strong orientation to techniquesfor modifying behavior, new emphasis onthe critical early years of development-physical and mental-and factors influ-encing ideal patterns of social interac-tions between members of the family: theinfant,the preschool child, the adolescent,and the elderly.The curricula will be supported by re-search which seeks to provide new andconstructive approaches to problems ofthe urban and rural environment, andthose associated with family life-to un-cover ways to enable each member of thefamily to reach his full potential throughhis food, his immediate physical environ-ment, and his interactions and experi-ences within the home. It will delve intothe critical periods of development toidentify the multiplicity of factors whichshape the moral and spiritual valueswhich affect the behavior of individuals.The challenge to education today, toidentify important human needs and tosearch for solutions to problems relatedto these needs, is even more pressingthan in decades past.Before 1974The new School is a continuation of aprogram that was started many years ago.Around 1912, a new curriculum in homeeconomics was added to the University'sprogram of instruction. In 1920, the De-partment of Home Economics was movedto new quarters and ample space wasallotted for the proper development of itswork. Courses were offered with the spe-cific aim of equipping students for scien-tific living-from a physical, nutritionaland sanitary standpoint-under the direc-tion of Dr. Mary AI ida Fitch.Later, Dr. Madeleine Wand Kirkland, agraduate of the Department, joined thefaculty. She was designated Departmenthead in 1938,after serving as acting head.In 1943, Dr. Flemmie P. Kittrell, was ap-pointed professor and chairman of theDepartment. Dr. Kittrell served for 28years and was instrumental in expandingthe Department's curriculum to six majorareas: General Home Economics, Foodsand Nutrition, Child Development, Cloth-ing and Textiles, Home Economics Exten-sion in Rural and Urban Areas, and Teach-ing of Home Economics.The School's present building wasded icated in 1963 for the purpose of serv-ing adequately the growing student bodyand the expanding program. 027Cecile Hoover Edwards, PhD. is dean of theSchool of Human Ecology.2New Directions, Vol. 2 [], Iss. 1, Art. 4http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol2/iss1/4

SCHOOL OF HUMAN ECOLOGY: New Opportunities for Study and Career

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SCHOOL OF HUMAN ECOLOGY: New Opportunities for Study and Career

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