Kansas State University

Big news! We changed our name! The School of Family Studies and Human Services gave well-wishes to Personal Financial Planning as they formed their own department this summer while we welcomed two programs—General Human Ecology and Family and Consumer Sciences Education—into our newly renamed Department of Applied Human Sciences. We are excited for this name change as it follows national trends and better represents our programs and degrees.  I’m also happy to share that we are the only department in the college to partner with the College of Education to deliver two Kansas State Department of Education licensure programs.

We are fortunate to have discerning and progressive faculty, staff, and alumni to guide us through our many changes throughout the year. See the timeline below on how our department has modified itself to meet the needs of the families and communities that we serve and support.

Read on to learn more about the innovations we have been up to since last spring. I welcome the opportunity to visit about your experiences and ideas for the department. Please feel free to contact me and as always, Go CATS!

–Sonya Lutter, department head (lutter@k-state.edu or 785-532-1472)

In a monumental move, the Hoeflin Stone House for Early Childhood Development Laboratory School (clinical site for the early childhood education academic unit) and the Center for Child Development (a service unit) merged in July 2020 under the umbrella of the Kansas Institute for Early Childhood Education and Research.  The newly combined unit retains its accreditation by the National Association for Early Childhood Education (NAEYC) and licensed by Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Continue reading “Kansas Institute For Early Childhood Education and Research (KIECER)” →

The history of Family and Consumer Sciences dates back to 1873 when Kansas State University (then known as Bluemont Central College) established the nation’s first academic program at a land-grant university. We have been a leader in the research and education of all areas of domestic science, home economics, human ecology, and health and human sciences. Students interested in teaching across the broad fields of our college are studying Family and Consumer Sciences Education, which recently moved to the Department of Applied Human Sciences (formerly the academic program was housed in the Health and Human Sciences dean’s office). Students take courses from across the college to develop scholarship and skills in the family and consumer sciences to become teachers at the middle, junior, and high school levels or extension agents. Junior and senior level courses focus on the pedagogy of family and consumer sciences through the College of Education. Continue reading “Family and Consumer Sciences Education” →

Our student ambassadors are not short on work this year. Led by Human Development and Family Science senior and AHS Intern, Mallory Paske.

Mallory Paske, Senior in Human Development and Family Science, found her way to AHS because of her desire to provide care to forgotten populations that need an advocate. She found that AHS offered educational pathways that not only taught about human nature, but also ways in which the world can be bettered through awareness and common understanding. She believes that the options within the school are endless for those who seek a career in the pursuit of a better society for all. Continue reading “Congratulations To The 2020-2021 Student Ambassadors” →

As all non-profit organizations will agree, your donations to the department have been so crucial this year. We have used funds to support and expand creative programming to prepare students for the workforce and provide faculty, staff, and student professional development on relevant issues such as COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter. Thank you for investing in our future.

To support the department, head to https://give.evertrue.com/ksu/hhs and specify your designation to the Department of Applied Human Sciences Excellence Fund or contact Jeff Haug at jeffh@ksufoundation.org.

Our faculty were busy this summer with preparing for online classes, new safety measures on campus and in our communities, among many other responsibilities not normally expected of 9-month employees. On top of everything else, our faculty made fantastic progress on their professional goals. Continue reading “Kudos To The Faculty and Staff” →

One of the many very disappointing outcomes associated with COVID-19 was the cancelling of the 2020 Rising Professionals Celebration. It makes us even more proud of our award winners and their willingness to accept the award without the pomp and circumstance. Continue reading “Proud Of Our Alumni” →

Please reach out and share your experience and time in what is now known as the Department of Applied Human Sciences. I am always open to hearing new stories.

–Sonya Lutter, department head (lutter@k-state.edu)