HUEC -- About Us

Baton Rouge, Louisiana |

The History of the School of Human Ecology dates back to the early 1910s when a few clubwomen in Baton Rouge expressed an interest in establishing home economics at Louisiana State University. According to the 1914 Biennial Report of Louisiana State University, "Our public school authorities are rapidly industrializing their schools; in fact, …in forty of their high schools, they even now have departments of Home Economics. Consequently, and not only because of the demand for teachers, but because of its right to be, we cannot too soon establish the Department of Home Economics at the University...

After the publication of the Biennial Report, a necessity existed for training Louisiana women in home economics. Finally, in 1915, LSU established the Department of Home Economics under the direction of Miss Nellie Fitzgerald. During the first year Fitzgerald presented a budget of $15,155, which included such needed items as an instructor's salary, three sewing machines, a refrigerator, and a pressing iron.

In 1915, the curriculum consisted of a survey course, clothing, food preparation, marketing, nutrition, architecture, sanitation, household decoration, home management, and an education course. During the first year, 35 girls enrolled in 16 courses with three faculty members.

By 1920, the curriculum expanded to include millinery, canning, dairying, and gardening. These offerings reflected the needs of the time as influenced by World War I and the establishment of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and 4-H club programs. All women students in the University except the Law School were required to carry one year of home economics. The College of Agriculture required that female students, in order to graduate, reside in the Home Economics home management house for one semester.

As LSU increased in size, so did the School of Home Economics. In the late 1950s, high enrollment justified the need for new and larger facilities. In September of 1960, L.S.U. constructed a new Home Economics building, offering excellent teaching and research facilities. The building also housed a pre-school nursery school for three and four year olds. The building’s third floor remained unfinished to allow for growth. Currently, the School of Human Ecology uses the entire third floor for office and lab space.

On June 22, 1989, the Louisiana Board of Regents approved a name change to the School of Human Ecology. Human Ecology is the study of humans as social beings, the study of their near environment and most especially, the study of the interaction between the two. Even though the name changed, the roots and mission of the School remain the same. The scope and focus of our work and the professions of our graduates have changed. A decrease in the demand for generalists in the Human Ecology field required a reorganization of curricula in highly refined specializations: nutritional sciences (with concentrations in nutritional sciences/pre-medicine and dietetics), textile, apparel and merchandising (with concentrations in apparel design, merchandising, and textile science), and family, child and consumer sciences (with concentrations in human services management and consumer science.) The School prepares its graduates to enter the labor market with specialized knowledge and skills and a focus on individual and family well being.

In the fall of 1992, the School of Human Ecology added a new program for doctoral students. The program prepares professionals and conduct research to improve the quality of life for families and individuals in a complex and changing society. The doctoral program reflects a national movement to increase the importance of family life. The Ph.D. program increases the School’s capability to attract outside research dollars and fill a severe need within this region for professional development.

Eighty-five years after its birth, the School of Human Ecology touts a faculty of 32 members who carry on the work of educating over 600 undergraduate majors and about 35 graduate students.

The School of Human Ecology continues to conduct research in several areas. Human Ecology faculty members receive funding from the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station as well as through outside agencies, industry and special funding sources such as the Board of Regents grants and Student Technology Fee awards.

The School of Human Ecology at Louisiana State University possesses a heritage deeply rooted in the history of the University and in the profession of Human Ecology.