Key events in the history of Family and Consumer Sciences at Ohio State.
FCS at OSU Timeline:
1896 – A Department of Domestic Economy was created by the Board of Trustees of The Ohio State University on May 19, 1896 on the recommendation of the president of the University, James H. Canfield, and assigned to the Collegeof Agriculture. The name of the college was changed to College of Agriculture and Domestic Science.
1913 – The name of the department was changed from Domestic Science to Home Economics.
1914 – The Smith-Lever act provides funding to setup Cooperative Extension offices at 1862 and 1890 land-grant universities like Ohio State and Central State. Home Economics and nutritional programs are included in the Cooperative Extension programming and funding.
1914 – The Ohio legislature approves constructing a home economics building which was completed in 1917, and in 1921 named Campbell Hall for the deceased wife of Governor James E. Campbell. Classes began in the unfinished building in September, 1916.
1917 – The Smith-Hughes Act to provide for vocational high school home economics and teacher training was passed by Congress. Vocational teacher training was established in the Home Economics Department at Ohio State in 1918. Teacher training centers were established at North High School and Reynoldsburg.
1922 – Childcare courses begin, making Ohio State one of the first universities to offer education in the subject.
1925 – A nursery school to serve as a laboratory for the study of child development was established. It was the early ancestor of SFC.
1926 – The Purnell Act made funds available for research in home economics. The Department of Home Economics of the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station was organized.
1930 – A home management house on Eleventh Ave. was built, one of the first houses built on any campus for home management purposes. The house provided two dwelling units which replaced the Campbell Hall apartment and the previous rented house. For many years, there was also a farmhouse behind Campbell Hall that some might assume was the home management house. Actually, it was the original 1870 farmhouse from the Neil Farm that was there when the university purchased the land. Horticultural gardens and greenhouses operated near ‘farmhouse #1’ and Lazenby Hall for many years until the Neil Ave parking garage was built in 2006.
1945 – An administrative internship-graduate study program in dietetics was developed and approved by the Graduate School. The program was discontinued in 1962.
1947 – The Graduate School of the University gives approval to the PhD degree in Home Economics Education and Nutrition.
1958 – The college was renamed to the College of Agriculture and Home Economics. Its mission included home economics teaching, research and extension service.
1962 – A four-story research and teaching wing on the west side of Campbell Hall was completed.
1969 – The EFNEP (Expanded Family Nutrition Education Program) program was founded.
1977 – The PEP (Practical Education for Parenting) program was created by OSU Extension to strengthen parent-child relationships.
1983 – The Department of Home Economics of the College of Agriculture becomes its own college in Campbell Hall as the College of Home Economics.
1986 – OSU Extension is referred to as the Ohio Cooperative Extension Services and has an OCES logo that’s used.
1988 – Bobby Moser becomes director of OSU Extension. In 1991 Moser becomes dean of the College of Agriculture and later merged it with the School of Natural Resources to become CFAES.
1989 – The College of Home Economics is renamed to the College of Human Ecology.
1992 – The Family Nutrition Program (FNP) begins as a partnership between the Ohio Dept. of Human Services anOSU Extension.
1993 – Marilyn Spiegel is named assistant director of Home Economics, Ohio Cooperative Extension Service and associate dean of Outreach, College of Home Economics.
1993 – The Columbia Gas Lounge is dedicated in Campbell Hall.
2001-2005 – Joyce McDowell serves as assistant director of FCS Extension.
2002 – The ServSafe food safety program begins.
2002 – The Columbus Home Economist in Business Staff Lounge is dedicated in Campbell Hall.
2006 – The Universal Design Home Exhibit opens in the McCormick building at Farm Science Review. It was a partnership with Lowes.
2006 – The College of Human Ecology merges with the College of Education to form EHE, the College of Education and Human Ecology.
2006-2010 – Jill Nolan serves as assistant director of FCS Extension with an office in Arps Hall.
2010-2013 – Karen Bruns serves as assistant director of FCS Extension.
2015 – Karen Bruns retires, Pat Bebo becomes interim assistant director for FCS Extension.
2017 – Pat Bebo becomes the assistant director for FCS Extension.
2020 – SCP Online, FCS Extension’s largest online course launches.
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Sources:
The Ohio State University School of Home Economics: 1896-1970. Published in 1970. Memories and Milestones of OSU Extension 1905-2013. Published by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences in 2013. The Internet Archive Wayback Machine snapshots of OSU EHE websites: 2002-2015. Ohio State University historical maps available at: https://maps.osu.edu/historic