Letter from the Chair/Dean of Family and Consumer Sciences

Welcome to the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) at Carson-Newman College. Students in our division pursue majors associated with our near environment which empower them to improve the quality of life of individuals and families. These are a few highlights of what our department has to offer:

FCS at C-N is the oldest unit of its kind in a private denominational college/ university in the southeastern United States. In 2006 will celebrate our centennial anniversary (1906-2006).

We are one of only a few private institutions to be fully accredited by the Council for Accreditation of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS). Originally accredited in 1985, our department was reaffirmed in 1995 through the year 2005.

Graduates of our Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education (CADE) American Dietetics Association (ADA) approved Didactic Program in Dietetics have maintained a 100% passage rate on the Registered Dietitian exam since the program’s inception nearly 25 years ago (1979-2003).

Our Child and Family Studies and Family and Consumer Sciences Education majors offer teacher licensure programs accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Our Early Childhood Education students do practica in our national Association for the Accreditation of Young Children (NAEYC) accredited Child Development Center. We are the only NAEYC accredited center in a 30 mile radius.

Our Duncan Hall Resident Management Laboratory, which a few years ago underwent a $180,000 renovation in partnership with business and industry, is a national model for cooperative learning, application of management principles, and leadership development.

The FCS profession “with a thousand job titles” has something to offer almost everyone who is interested in assisting people in their family and consumer roles. You will want to be creative when you consider the variety of options offered you here at C-N.

For example, a major in Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics not only prepares one for a dietetic internship but also provides an ideal undergraduate preparation for medical school or nurse practitioners. Just ask Donna Stokes Cothran, MD (C-N ’80) who is pediatric neurologist and Registered Dietitian or Susan Gurley Johnson (C-N ’97) who is a nurse practitioner and registered dietitian!

A student interested in business or entrepreneurial activities might consider an undergraduate major in Consumer Services. Just ask Katrina Smith Faith (C-N ’96) who graduated from a MBA program and owns her own business or Deedra Purkey Burroughs (CN ‘96 )who also earned her MBA and is a practicing CPA.

Someone interested in teaching in family life education on the secondary or college level might consider a major in Family and Consumer Science Education. Just ask Heather Cameron Martin, (C-N ‘99) who is a FCS teacher at a large consolidated high school.

Or perhaps you are interested in Child and Family Studies or Early Childhood Education. Just ask Becky S. Baker (C-N ’95) second grade teacher named “Outstanding Elementary Educator” for her county.

If your major interest is Retailing and/or Interior Design, you may want to choose one or both of these emphases in our Consumer Services major. Just ask Joan Young (C-N ‘77) a preservationist at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. There is also interior designer/architect Danielle Culp Mathews (C-N ’94).

Maybe you are interested in improving the quality of life for your family and community, both near and far. Then ask Valerie Hayes, RD (C-N ’89) who has been a missionary in Turkey working to enhance health status; or Dr. Barbara Anne Farmer Hughes (C-N ’60) former President of Altrusa International; or Jane Blevins Chadbourne (C-N ’74) who is a wife, mother and youth worker in her church.

Regardless of your choice of major, you will enjoy several special advantages. Each of our four majors is led by faculty with a doctorate (or in one case, all but dissertation – ABD) in their area of expertise. Our school has six full-time faculty, a director and lead teacher of our Child Development Lab, and two adjunct faculty for some 125 majors. Thus, you are assured of individual attention and develop strong professional ties with the faculty. Several of our courses are elected by other majors; therefore, you have the opportunity to know other students in your FCS courses as well as in your supporting courses and electives outside the school.

Each major has an internship or field experience built into the curriculum. Internship sites secured by our students include regional and community hospitals, both public and parochial child development/day care programs, Southern Living Corporation, Hyatt Regency Hotel, The Limited, The Gap, Parisians, J. Crew, the Virginia Preservation Association, architecture and interior design firms and Agricultural Extension Service. Many of these internships have provided experience leading to job placement. A few have provided a salary or stipend.

These are a few highlights of what our school has to offer:

We are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of the American Associate of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS). Originally accredited in 1985, our school was reaffirmed in 2006.

Graduates of our Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education (CADE) and Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) have maintained a 100% passage rate on the Registered Dietitian exam since the program’s inception in 1979.

Our Child and Family Studies and Family and Consumer Sciences Education majors offer teacher licensure programs accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Our Duncan Hall Cooperative Management Laboratory, which a few years ago underwent a major renovation in partnership with business and industry, is a national model for cooperative learning, application of management princiiples, leadership development, and environmental stewardship.

Family and Consumer Sciences at C-N is the oldest unit of its kind in a private denominatinoal college/university in the southeastern United States. In 2006 the unit celebrated its centennial anniversary (1906-2006).

Thank you for taking time to check out our pages in the School of Family and Consumer Sciences. If you want additional information, please contact us using the accompanying interactive sections. We invite you to come visit us in new facilities, Blye-Poteat Hall and adjacent Child Development Lab at Carson-Newman College and meet our faculty and students.

Kitty R. Coffey, PhD,RD,LDN,CFCS Chair
Department of Family and Consumer SciencesDean,
School of Family and Consumer Sciences