In order to sustain this remarkable growth, it is imperative that more faculty with full graduate faculty status be developed/hired.  At the present time, Dr. Valencia Browning-Keen's dossier is before the group of associate deans who monitor movement from associate to full graduate faculty status, and that group has not met in some time, due in part, I believe, to the transition of some of the responsibilities for recruitment from the Office of Graduate Studies to the Office of Enrollment Management.  Dr. Keen is willing to assume the role of Graduate Director providing that we are able to hire a person to be the Director of the undergraduate Didactic Program in Dietetics (Food Science and Nutrition, an accredited program) for the department. 

Secondly, we must continue our recruitment efforts at every opportunity.  One of the ways we are seeking to do this is by assigning a graduate assistant the responsibility for keeping the website up-to-date.  We will also cooperate with the Hobson's Notification system as we follow through with our recruitment efforts.  We will emphasize the benefits of the on-line format. 

Thirdly, we must continue to request new faculty positions.  We cannot sustain growth in the graduate program without them, and we cannot rob the undergraduate programs, two of which are accredited, of well-qualified faculty in order to maintain the graduate program.

Finally, two more courses are planned, one in the area of administration of family and consumer sciences programs and how those programs have requirements that are different from other types of programs, and another one in the area of nutrition and dietetics that is for the general FCS major.

This is an ambitious plan but all of the elements within the plan are necessary for the ultimate success of this program.

During the 2013-2014 academic year, Dr. Keen was approved by the group of associate deans to serve the department as Graduate Director.  She has fulfilled her duties in that role, learning the programs associated with graduate admissions and working with Mary Pascarella in Graduate Admissions.  The department still is searching for a person to fill the role of Director for the undergraduate Didactic Program in Dietetics (Food Science and Nutrition, an accredited program). 

Efforts at recruitment continue.  We have hired a graduate assistant who has worked this summer on updates to the website.  We continue to emphasize the benefits of the online format for students enrolled in the MS in FCS. 

We have requested new faculty positions, and are not where we would like to be in regard to this faculty recruitment.  We HAVE hired a new department chair/teacher educator who is slated to come on board July 1, 2015.  She will come with tenure.  We are seeking a Ph.D., RD as another faculty position who would be able to teach in either graduate program, and that search continues.  Additionally, Dr. Keen has put the FACS 5367 Consumer and Biotechnology course into an online format during the Summer 2014 session, therefore allowing for three solid populations for this course:  Students from the MS in Dietetics, students enrolled in the MS in FCS, and students in a new (and online) Agriculture MS program that is geared toward the "hobby farm" and "specialized products" niche markets.

For the course in the area of administration of family and consumer sciences programs, progress was made but the course still is not ready to be offered, primarily because the person who is slated to teach it needs a course release in order to have a spot in her schedule.  The Consumer and Biotechnology course offered online is now available for the general FCS major.    

The course in administration of program in family and consumer sciences is planned to be offered under the 5079 ("Special Topics") designation for the Spring 2015 semester.  A graduate teaching assistant in the FACS 1330 course will allow the time for the faculty member to carry an overload and therefore accomplish that task.  

Recruitment will continue, as will partnerships with programs where we can "borrow" courses that are relevant and appropriate for our students in departments such as Communication Studies (Family Communication) and Health (Consumer Health Education).  

Recruitment to fill the open position will also continue as will updates to the website.  

Overall, this program is showing sustained growth and is obviously appealing to this population of working professionals in the field of family and consumer sciences.