HISTORY STATEMENT
Agriculture Sciences
Agriculture has always played a vital role in the growth and development of what is now Tennessee State University. The first courses in 1913 embodied the study of the chemical and physical properties of soils and fertilizers, treatment of insects, pest and plant disease, methods of cultivation, care and feeding of live stock, composition of feeds, dairying and testing of dairy products. The agriculture campus and farm consisted of 165 acres. The practical aspects of farming were stressed because students were expected to pursue careers in agriculture as owners, operators and vocational agriculture teachers. Most farm labor was performed by students, the proceeds of which paid school expenses, and the produce was used in the college cafeteria.
The institution was elevated to university status by approval of the state Board of Education in August 1951. At the same time, the institution's educational program was reorganized to include (1) a school of Arts and Sciences, (2) a School of Education, (3) a School of Engineering, (4) a Graduate School, and (5) the areas of Agriculture, Business, Home Economics, Extension, and Air Science. Provisions were made, also, for subsequent establishment of schools of Agriculture, Business, and Home Economics.
On July 1, 1958, the School of Agriculture and Home economics was established. A few weeks later, on August 8, 1958, the state Board of Education elevated the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State University to full fledged Land-Grant University status. The Land-Grant University program approved by the state Board of Education included: (1) a School of Agriculture and Home Economics (2) a school of Arts and Sciences, (3) a School of Education, (4) a School of Engineering, (5) a Graduate School, (6) a Division of Business, (7) a Division of Field Services, and (8) a Department of Air Science. On December 4, 1958, in regular annual session, the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools granted full membership the University. In 1958, the University began offering the Master of Education degree in addition to the Master of Art and Master of Science degrees.
Family & Consumer Sciences
Domestic Art and Domestic Science were among the courses offered during the first session of the school with more than 200 students enrolled. These courses were known by the above titles as well as Plain Sewing, Dressmaking, Foods, Dietetics and Cooking until 1918, when the term Home Economics first appeared in the course catalog. Domestic Art training was given in grades six to twelve and in a special two-year normal course. The stated goal of the training was to prepare "special teachers and supervisors of Cooking and Sewing in the public and private schools, and for housekeepers, matrons, and homemakers”.
A four-year college degree was outlined in the 1925 college catalog. The board curriculum, which was designed to train home economics teachers, included courses in foods and nutrition, clothing and textiles, home management, child care, home furnishings, and home nursing. The Division of Home Economics included the following five departments - Related Art, Textiles and Clothing, Child Development and Home Management, Foods and Nutrition, and Home Economics Education - in 1944 and was listed as one of the nine divisions of the College. Graduate work, which provided an opportunity for advanced study in Foods and Nutrition, Textiles and Clothing, and Home Economics Education, was offered in 1945. The 1945 Bulletin showed the requirements for the following majors and minors: Child Development and Family Relations, Foods, Home Management, Institutional Management, Nutrition, Textiles, and Clothing. A laboratory nursery school was developed to train students in the Division.
In 1959, Home Economics became a Department in the School of Agriculture and Home Economics. The accomplishments during the 1960's were: (1) the continuation of the graduate program in Home Economics after being inactive for approximately ten years, and (2) the securing of outside research funds by departmental faculty. A major accomplishment of the 1970's was the achievement of full accreditation of the Department of Home Economics by the American Home Economics Association (AHEA). The departmental program offerings were expanded in the 1970's to include a degree in Early Childhood Education with K-3 certification. Enrollment in Home Economics at TSU had risen in the 1970's and early 1980's. In 1980 the enrollment stood at 369 students. Program expansion and reaccreditation by AHEA were major accomplishments of the late 1980's. New program options in Food Service Management and Fashion Merchandising were added and a concentration in Design was approved.
The present-day mission of Home Economics, which is known by its new name "Family & Consumer Sciences", is to : (1) Prepare individuals from diverse backgrounds and ages including those that may be educationally disadvantaged as well as those that may be academically and socially advantaged for (a) leadership roles in professional family and consumer sciences or related careers, (b) graduate and professional specialization, (c) an improved quality of personal and professional life, and (d) leadership in improving the quality of life for families through education , prevention, and development; (2) Discover new knowledge and extend this knowledge to a variety of audiences to improve the quality of life; and (3) Provide service to the community.