The mission of the Human Ecology Department describes the interdisciplinary programs concerned with family well-being, human development and welfare, the human environment, and their interrelationships.  An ecological perspective is contextual and focuses on reciprocal relationships between people and their environments, the development of human potential, and the formation of social goals.  Graduates of the Department’s academic programs are prepared for careers in the apparel and textiles, child and family services, dietetics and nutrition, food service and restaurant administration, and positions that utilize the knowledge and skills of a the Human Ecology discipline, including Family Consumer Science Education.

To this end, the Human Ecology Department’s mission is to:

• Prepare competent human ecology professionals capable of developing solutions to complex individual, family, consumer, and community issues as they relate to their area of specialization
• Promote the understanding of the interrelatedness of social, economic, political, technological, cultural, and physical elements that affect the well-being of individuals, families, society, and the world.
• Integrate knowledge, theory, research, and application in courses and programs which further the understanding of human ecology.
• Utilize scholarship and life-long learning as a means of improving the quality of life at the micro and macro levels of society.
• Foster creativity, personal growth, critical thinking, civic engagement,  and professional ethics  

            This mission is appropriate for contemporary practice in the fields of Apparel and Textiles, Child and Family Services, Nutrition and Dietetics, Food Service and Restaurant Administration, and General Human Ecology based upon historical and current trends in these fields.  The mission’s focus on the development of Human Ecology professionals capable of developing solutions to complex individual, family, consumer, and community issues makes it a unique entity on campus.