The Kansas Board of Regents voted to accept our proposal of a new Department of Personal Financial Planning. Until a department head is hired, I will serve as the interim department head for Personal Financial Planning and remain the director of the School of Family Studies and Human Services with programs in Human Development and Family Science, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Conflict Resolution, Early Childhood Education, and Couple and Family Therapy.
On January 31st, we opened the doors to our new Student Success Center. This is the first time we have had a front office presence for the school and it allows us the opportunity to house an advisor and two staff members. The center also has a conference room for visitors, student research defenses, small group discussion, and class presentations. 
The new Social Science Research collaborative workspace is also in operation to generate new knowledge. These spaces will be tremendous beneficial to the success of the school, our students and faculty members in the future.