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Justin Smith Morrill
Justin Smith Morrill was a Representative and Senator from Vermont; born in Strafford, Orange County, Vt., April 14, 1810; attended the common schools and Thetford and Randolph Academies; elected as a Whig to the Thirty-fourth Congress and as a Republican to the five succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1855-March 3, 1867), when he became Senator; author of the Tariff Act of 1861 and of the land-grant bill, which bears his name. -
Ellen Swallow Richards
Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards, 1842-1911, attended Vassar College, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1870. Subsequently she applied for admission to MIT and in January 1871 became the first female student to attend MIT, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1873 in chemistry. She also earned, in 1873, the degree of Master of Arts from Vassar College. Ellen is revered as the founder and champion of the profession of Home Economics. -
Morrill Act of 1862
The Land-Grant College Act of 1862, or Morrill Act, of the U.S. Congress (1862) that provided grants of land to states to finance the establishment of colleges specializing in “agriculture and the mechanic arts.” Named for its sponsor, Vermont Congressman Justin Smith Morrill (1810–98), it granted each state 30,000 acres for each of its congressional seats. -
Land Grant University
The original mission of these institutions, as set forth in the first Morrill Act, was to teach agriculture, military tactics, and the mechanic arts as well as classical studies so members of the working classes could obtain a liberal, practical education. To disseminate information gleaned from the experiment stations’ research, the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 created a Cooperative Extension Service associated with each land-grant institution. -
Arkansas Land Grant Universities
Two institutions in the State of Arkansas have been designated as land grant universities: The University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. -
Mary B. Welch
Mary B. Welch teaches Home Economics to women at Iowa State College. This is believed to be the first effort in the United States to teach Home Economics to college students. -
Lake Placid Conference
The first meeting of contemporaries in the field of home economics was held at the Lake Placid Club in 1899. These conferences were conducted to meet and talk about the latest advances in the subject. The group believed home economics would allow students the opportunity to manage their own homes and be prepared for careers focused on people and the environments around them. -
Home Economics Association Formed
The Tenth Lake Placid Conference is held and the Home Economics Association is formed. Ellen Swallow Richards is elected as the first president of the association. -
International Federation for Home Economics (IFHE)
The International Federation of Home Economics is established. IFHE is the only worldwide organisation concerned with Home Economics and Consumer Studies. It was founded in 1908 to serve as a platform for international exchange within the field of Home Economics. IFHE is an International Non Governmental Organisation (INGO), having consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC, FAO, UNESCO, UNICEF). -
Smith-Lever Act
The Smith-Lever Act established a national Cooperative Extension Service that extended outreach programs through land-grant universities to educate rural Americans about advances in agricultural practices and technology. Today, cooperative extension continues to serve the educational and developmental needs of communities across the U.S. by supporting clubs, classes, and events that help citizens keep pace with the rapid modern advances in agriculture techniques and technologies. -
Smith-Hughes Act
The Smith–Hughes National Vocational Education Act of 1917 was an act of the United States Congress that promoted vocational education in agriculture, trades and industry, and homemaking, and provided federal funds for this purpose. As such, it is the basis both for the promotion of vocational education, and for its isolation from the rest of the curriculum in most school settings. -
George-Reed Act
The George-Reed Act focused only on agriculture and home economics. It removed home economics from the trade and industrial sections of the Smith Hughes Act. It allotted no funding, and had a five year term limit. It did however authorize annual appropriations. -
Isabella Beeton
Isabella Mayson was born in London in 1936. In 1856, she married Samuel Beeton, a wealthy publisher and began to write articles on cooking and household management for her husband's publications. In 1861, the first instalment of her famous 'The Book of Household Management' was published. It was an immediate success, selling over 60,000 copies in its first year of publication and nearly two million by 1868. -
Vocational Education Act
THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1963 WAS ENACTED BY CONGRESS TO OFFER NEW AND EXPANDED VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO BRING JOB TRAINING INTO HARMONY WITH THE INDUSTRIAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL REALITIES OF TODAY AND THE NEEDS FOR TOMORROW. THE ACT REQUIRES EACH STATE AND COMMUNITY TO PLAN FLEXIBLE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS WHICH ARE COMPATIBLE WITH CHANGES OCCURRING IN THE ECONOMY AND THE WORLD OF WORK -
Vocational Education Amendment
The Vocational Education Amendments of 1968 extend the work of the 1963 amendments. National and state advisory councils are required. In addition, each state must submit a plan consisting of administrative policies and procedures and an annual and 5-year program plan. Part of the authorized funds are allocated to permanent programs in cooperative vocational as well as consumer and homemaking education. -
Vocational Education Amendment
Introduced special programs to the disadvantaged and included support for industrial art programs -
Vocational Education Amendment
Established the community schools concept and the basic skills program. It aimed at improving student achievement in reading, mathematics, and written and oral communication -
Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act
Aimed at expanding, improving, modernizing, and developing quality vocational education programs to meet the needs of the workforce and promote economic growth as well as meet the needs of specific populations, including handicapped and disadvantaged individuals. -
The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act (Perkins II)
Aimed at providing greater vocational opportunities to disadvantaged individuals and assisting states and local school systems in teaching the skills and competencies necessary to work in a technologically advanced society to all students. The act provided funds for the integration of academic and vocational education and Tech Prep programs. -
Family and Consumer Sciences in the U.S.
In 1994, various organizations, including the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, adopted the new term "family and consumer sciences" to reflect the fact that the field covers aspects outside of home life and wellness. The United States is the only nation in the world that refers to the profession as FCS versus Home Economics. -
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) is established
The American Home Economics Association (AHEA) changes its name to the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS). -
Say YES to FCS Campaign Launched
There is an established and growing shortage of family and consumer sciences professionals to serve in educator positions in secondary education, higher education, and Extension education. This shortage increasingly results in educator positions going unfilled or filled with unqualified individuals. Shortages of family and consumer sciences educators and those enrolled in family and consumer sciences educator preparation programs too often result in program closures.
