VI.
Reflections
What has gone well in the department? What accomplishments have occurred in the past five
years?
Providing department accomplishments for just the past five years would not give justice to
the department’s real success. The Family and Consumer Sciences department was in serious
disarray in 1993-1994.
A nutrition faculty member served as department chair from 1988 to 1993. A family studies
faculty member started a term as department chair in the fall of 1993. After fourteen weeks of
chair service, the new chair was voted out of the chair position. No one on staff was willing to
move into the chair position because of the department turmoil. A retired college dean, Ron
Frye, came back to serve as interim chair, on a part-time basis. The current chair had recently
moved into the Ellensburg area and was recruited from the Selah School District to fill the
chair position.
When the current chair assumed the chair position in spring of 1994, the faculty member who
had been forced out of the chair position after 14 weeks of service was angry about being
removed from the chair position and still on staff. Department relationships and
communications were tense. A faculty member was on medical leave as a result of harassment
from the chair who served 14 weeks. She resigned that spring. Two tenure-track faculty,
(Fashion Merchandising/Housing and FCS Ed/Housing), were also angry because they had
received official notice that the department was not supporting them for tenure and their
contracts were being terminated. A tenured faculty member, in FCS ED/Housing was angry
because she had not received department support for promotion. Approximately 66% of the
department positions were directly affected by the department problems. The Food Sciences
and Nutrition program was the only program in the department that did not reflect a negative
impact from department problems. The 1993-94 department problems resulted in decreased
enrollments in four of the five department programs, (FCS Education, Family Studies,
Housing and Fashion Merchandising.) Staff problems with Family Studies, Fashion
Merchandising and Housing continued from 1994 to 1998. The Family Studies professor who
was forced out of the chair position in 1994 was tenured but left the department in 1996 with
nine “surviving” Family Studies majors. After the tenured Family Studies professor left, the
FS faculty member who had resigned in 1994 as a result of harassment, returned to the
department. The returning faculty member successfully rebuilt the Family Studies program.
The returning faculty member was so successful in rebuilding the program that a second FS
professor was added to the staff in 2001 to help accommodate all of the Family Studies
majors.
The Fashion Merchandising and Housing programs were not as quick in recovering from the
1993-1994 problems. A new tenure-track staff member was hired for 1995 and 1996. The
new tenure track hire started to rebuild the two suffering programs, but then resigned for
medical reasons. The medical resignation came one week before the 1996 fall quarter started.
The Fashion Merchandising and Housing programs existed on adjuncts for the 96-97 academic
year. A 1997 tenure-track hire for the Fashion Merchandising and Housing programs did not
work. The employee’s contract was not renewed for ethical and teaching violations. A new
tenure track faculty member was recruited from the East Valley School District in 1998 to
“save” the Fashion Merchandising and Housing programs. The new faculty member has been
very successful in rebuilding the Fashion Merchandising program, from 9 majors to 40 majors.
A person with a degree in Interior Design entered the department in 1997 as a graduate
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student. Her expertise in Housing/Interior Design has been used to revitalize the
Housing/Interior program. The Interior Design instructor has increased the Interior Design
program from 8 majors to 38 majors and pre-majors.
Two new FCS Education staff hires in 1994 and one new hire in 1999–1999 employee is nontenure track/self-support and Challenge Grant) successfully rebuilt the FCS Ed program from
its previous position of 19 majors to its current status of 45 campus majors and 38 off
campus/non-traditional students or certification applicants. The CWU/FCS Ed program is the
largest FCS Ed program in the state and the largest FCS teacher certification program in the
United States. The CWU/FCS certification model is being shared with other states and
universities on a nationwide basis. The CWU/FCS Education program is currently
administering a USDA Agriculture Challenge Grant to facilitate FCS teacher certification on a
national basis through nationally shared resources. The Challenge Grant project also has the
potential to establish an international process for facilitating FCS teacher certification.
The department chair is a former National President of the Family and Consumer Sciences
Education Association (FCSEA) and has served as the volunteer CEO of FCSEA since 1996.
The FCSEA national headquarters office was moved to CWU in 1994 because of the chair’s
national level leadership in FCS Education. In addition, to working with FCS teacher
educators to rebuild the CWU/FCS teacher education program, the department chair also
provided campus and state leadership for building the CWU/Continuing Ed Plan II teacher
preparation program. Under the chair’s leadership and administration, CWU became the first
institution, in the state, to develop a State Board of Education approved Plan II teacher
preparation program. The CWU Plan II program generates profit for three campus
departments and facilitates teacher certification at three off-campus sites for 150 to 200
business and industry workers each year. The CWU Plan II teacher preparation program is the
largest Plan II program in the state.
All Family and Consumer Sciences department programs impacted by the 1993-94 problems
have significantly improved since 1994. All department faculty positions, with the exception
of a tenure-track position for Housing/Interior Design, have stabilized. Three of the six new
department faculty have successfully received tenure and promotions. The three remaining
new department faculty are on track for receiving tenure and promotions. Efforts are being
made to support Housing and Interiors by securing a tenure-track position for
Housing/Interior Design.
Individual program reflections are also provided.
VI-B1.
What challenges exist?
The greatest FCS challenges include:
1. providing technology for faculty to use in preparing and presenting class materials and
authentic learning opportunities
2. identifying the role and resources for graduate programs within the department
3. providing support for the Housing/Interiors major. This personalized study program has
48 majors and pre-majors and is predominantly run on an underpaid ($25,000) annual
contract position. It is the fastest growing program in the department.
4. providing support for the Nutrition, dietetics and Food Service management
Specializations. These programs are limited in growth by a lack of additional staff
resources.
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B2.
C.
What has the department done to meet challenges?
Chair and faculty have all been involved in securing grants to enhance student learning and
to supplement office and program support.
1. Technology challenge
Faculty have participated in technology in-service activities and have identified
technology resources that would help them facilitate teaching and learning.
2. Graduate Program challenge
Family Studies faculty have limited the number of graduate students that they can accept.
3. The department has been creative in revitalizing the Housing/Interiors program and in
designing a program that has the capacity to meet National Kitchen and Bath
accreditation standards. The department requested an annual contract or tenure-track
position for the program and has provided justification for the program to Dean Bowers.
4. The department is exploring external resources that may be able to help expand the
Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Service Management Specializations. A Johnson and
Wales representative will be visiting campus in February. The department is also
working with CWU/Leisure Services and Recreation to develop and facilitate a new
integrated undergraduate and graduate program of study.
Describe ways the department might increase quality, quantity, and/or efficiency.
Since 1994, the department has worked hard to increase quality, quantity and efficiency.
Dean Douglas made the difficult decision to close the Apparel Studies program in 1998.
Prior to its closure, the department received several warning letters from campus
administration about poor quantity of SCH in Apparel Studies.
Faculty in all other FCS program areas have increased majors and class sizes. Adding a staff
position for Housing/Interior Design (48 majors and pre-majors) and for Nutrition will
increase program quality and quantity.
Providing a staff position and resources for the Family Studies program will also improve
quality, quantity and efficiency. A third Family Studies staff member will be needed to help
implement general education courses and a quality graduate program.
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES EDUCATION (FCSE)
A.
What has gone well in the past five years?
 In the last five years our program has grown considerably
 FCSE has 13 new majors this quarter (Autumn 2002); two of which are males
 FCSE will certify 23 individuals in Family and Consumer Sciences Education this
academic school year (2002-2003)
 FCSE has formed a national partnership with 14 other Universities to develop a bank of
classes to provide necessary content for place bound FCS students. A CWU FCSE
teacher educator is advising FCS place bound students for the state and nation; she is
currently working with 33 individuals from the state of Washington
 When the campus and the “place bound” program are combined FCSE is working with
over 80 FCS Ed. majors
 The students are seeing the need to be involved in a Professional Organization – this is
evidenced by the increase in our students attendance at the state and national AAFCS
conferences
B.
What challenges exist?
 Bringing technology into the classroom; the pre-service students need to be able to see
how technology should be a part of everyday teaching/learning. Technology should
be a seamless transition between content and the real world. FCSE has a need for
internet/web access in the FCS classroom. Technology also needs to be available
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C.
(updated) so that students can open/use the CD’s that come with the textbooks and
programs from the various organizations for FCS.
 The class sizes are increasing; this is both good and bad. The larger classes mean more
classroom teachers, but it is difficult to meet all of the student’s needs.
 It is difficult to provide for both the undergraduate and graduate FCSE students
Therefore, the FCS Ed. Graduate program is not advertised. We do not turn anyone
away, but we do not recruit for the program either.
Describe ways to increase quality, quantity and efficiency. Provide evidence to support promise
for outstanding performance
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A self-support, FCSE teacher educator works with/advises the place bound students, this
has been a BIG help.
This quarter (Autumn 2002) is a first for the place bound program. Julie Wyles is the first
individual to do her student teaching after completing her course work through this program. At
the midpoint of the quarter, everything looks good. Her cooperating teachers have given her
positive reports.
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