U of U Family and Consumer Studies
What's New in the Department?

Spring 2008 Semester
  • Class Schedule & registration appointments available on the Web - Mon, Sep 24
  • Admission & Readmission deadline - Thurs, Nov 1
  • Deadline to apply for graduation - Thurs, Nov 1
  • Registration by scheduled appointment begins - Thurs, Nov 1
  • Term length and First Session classes begin - Mon, Jan 7
  • Last day to drop Term Length and First Session Classes - Wed, Jan 16
  • Tuition payment due - Tues, Jan 22
  • Census deadline - Mon, Jan 28
  • Last day to withdraw from First Session classes - Fri, Feb 1
  • Presidents' Day - Mon, Feb 18
  • First Session classes end - Tues, Feb 26
  • Second Session classes begin - Wed, Feb 27
  • Last day to withdraw from Term Length classes - Fri, Feb 29
  • Last day to drop Second Session classes - Fri, Mar 7
  • Spring break - Mon-Sat, Mar 17-22
  • Last day to withdraw from Second Session classes - Fri, Mar 28
  • Term Length and Second Session classes end - Wed, Apr 23
  • Final exam period for Term Length and Second Session classes - Fri-Thurs, April 25-May 1
  • Annual University Commencement/Convocation Exercises - Fri, May 2
  • Grades Available - Tues, May 13
 
Summer 2008 Semester
  • Deadline to apply for graduation - Fri, Feb 1
  • Class schedule & registration appointments available on the Web - Mon, Feb 11
  • Admission and readmission deadline - Sat, Mar 15
  • Registration by appointment begins - Mon, Mar 17
  • Classes begin - Mon, May 12
 
Department Award Winners in 2007-2008
  Assistant Professor Caitlin Cahill - Lowell Bennion Public Service Professor

Caitlin Cahill has been named the Lowell Bennion Public Service Professor for 2007-8 reflecting her commitment to engaged interdisciplinary scholarship. This award supports the development of the Mestizo Arts and Activism Project, a youth research action research project developed collaboratively with documentary filmmaker & community-based researcher Matt Bradley of the Honors College.  The Mestizo Arts and Activism Project is a partnership between Neighborhood Housing Services, University Neighborhood Partners (UNP) and the Mestizo Institute for Arts and Culture. The program will commence in January 2008 and will be offered on an annual basis as the Westside Leadership Institute (WLI)project, to young people who are living on Salt Lake City's west side. Mestizo is a model youth research & education program that integrates the arts into the process and as an approach to community outreach.

 
Student Honors
  Congratulations to the following 2007-2008 scholarship recipients!
Jamie Bates - Sara Baum Welke (Ida Mae Hanks)
Darady Bitter - Sara Baum Wilke (Ida Mae Hanks)
Michael David - Elva Acklam Stark and Arvil L. Stark, Ph.D.
Kristy Draper - Departmental
Madison Drury - Social and Behavioral Science
Shannon Fallis - Social and Behavioral Science
Robyn Grant - Departmental
Chelsey Jensen - Marjorie E. Pearson
Shana Jensen - Departmental
Jessica Junk - Pinon Market
Lisa Larson - Social and Behavioral Science
Bret Muir - Pinon Market
Miriam Solen - Eric Moerer Memorial
Todd Sower - Colleen Cluff Caputo
Kristen Tarwater - Social and Behavioral Science
Laurieann Thorpe - Departmental
Chau Trinh - Departmental

Congratulations to the following KON 2007 Graduates
Crystal Akagi, Sasha Anderson, Erika Beck, Lauren Bigelow, Bradney Carter, Melody Clinger, Carly Clippinger, Brandi Cooley, Mary Ann Crall, Heather Donaldson, David Donaldson, Emily Ericksen, Kristi Ernsten, Monica Etzel, Leah Fleishchel, Lindsay Green, Brianna Hafen, Melissa Hancock, Amelia Hanseen, Nicole Lambert, Krista Larsen, Dan Laxman, Pamela Murray, Thayes Price, Marilyn Richards, Samantha Schultz, Layah Steinberg, Jenny Stout, Richard Whipple, Hua Zan
 
Family Ecology Graduates
  Elizabeth Hunsaker Garn
Beth Garn received her B.S. in Family and Consumer Studies with an emphasis in Family Finance from Utah State University and her M.S. in Family Ecology from the University of Utah.  She has been teaching in the FCS department since 2006.  Her areas of interest include: debt, homeownership, bankruptcy and financial education.  She loves reading and traveling with her family.

Alisa Cox Van Langeveld
Alisa C. Van Langeveld (Ph.D., 2008 exp, Human Development, Brigham Young University; M.S. 2004, Family Ecology, University of Utah).  Alisa's thesis titled, "Resilience in Context: The effects of parental involvement on demographic risk factors during the transition to elementary school," used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) to identify which family-level factors are associated with a successful transition to 1st grade. Alisa is currently the Field Director for the research project “Flourishing Families” based out of Seattle, WA. The project will follow the same 500 families for 7 years, beginning with 11-year-olds and following them through high school graduation. 2007 was the first year of data collection. The aim of the project is to identify how early family processes can predict later adolescent/young adult outcomes. Her research focuses on family processes and resilience, specifically how families can help their children succeed, what she calls “contextual resilience.”  Alisa also trains in the community by providing parenting trainings for the Utah Foster Care Foundation.  Alisa is in her fourth year of teaching at the University. She teaches FCS 2570: Middle Childhood Development, FCS 3200: Research Methods, and FCS 5210: Family Life Education.  
 
Introducing the Three Newest Department Members
  Susan McDaniel
Susan McDaniel joins the Department of Family and Consumer Studies as a full Professor. She is also appointed as Senior Investigator in the Institute for Public and International Affairs. She comes to the University of Utah from Canada where she has taught at the Universities of Alberta, Waterloo and Windsor.

Her research is wide-ranging, guided by the central question of how social structural constraints impinge on human social life most intimately. The current phase of her research is focused on the development of new research and policy frameworks, particularly centered on life course as a social policy lens. In particular, she asks how aggregate social phenomena such as population aging and globalization articulate with individual and familial life course chances and choices. She is co-leading a group of researchers, funded by Human Resources and Social Development Canada, examining life course as a policy lens through seven applications. As well, she is part of the Executive Committee leading the Population Change and Life Course Cluster of Excellence, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.  She is the author of many books, book chapters and articles. Her book, Close Relations (with Lorne Tepperman), now in third edition, is the best-selling family text in Canada. In Fall 2007, her four-volume book, Major Work on Ageing/Gerontology will be published by Sage, UK.

Patricia Saccomano
Trish joins the FCS Faculty as the cohort leader for the Early Childhood Teacher Education program. Trish came to the University of Utah straight from the classroom. She spent 29  
years teaching Kindergarten, first and second grades in the Salt
Lake City School District. She was a Site Teacher Educator for  
the University of Utah for 6 years before joining the Department  
of Teaching & Learning in 2004.  Trish received her BS and  
M. Ed degrees from Westminster College in Salt Lake City.
Trish will be supervising all the student teacher placements and
she teaches FCS 2640 Integrated Curriculum Methods. She  
also teaches classroom management and the early childhood  
action research seminar. The Early Childhood Teacher Program
is a joint program between the FCS and Teaching and Learning Departments.

Jennifer Stout
Jenny graduated from the FCS department double majoring in Human Development and Family Studies as well as Consumer and Community Studies. She says: “The FCS department was a wonderful place to be as a student. I loved every class I attended and truly enjoyed each professor. When I learned about the FCS advisor position I jumped at the chance to continue working with the faculty and staff, as well as share my passion for the course content with students.”
She loves meeting with students and helping them with their academic plans and especially enjoys being a welcoming face for freshmen and transfer students. She is looking forward to the major expo in September to show students from across campus what FCS has to offer. She is also excited to be taking over the field training program this fall semester.

 
Student Advisory Committee (SAC)
  Join up and serve the department and your fellow students. Have an impact on the quality of your professors. It will look good on your resume too!
 
Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society
  Information about Kappa Omicron Nu can be found at http://www.fcs.utah.edu/undergrad/kon.
 
Early Childhood Education Program
  The Early Childhood Education program has been revised. Click here to check out the changes.
 
Requirement Updates
  An updated list of requirements for all FCS majors, minors and programs have been posted. These requirements have been posted exclusively in pdf format for better printability. The employment potential page has also been updated. Be sure to check these out.
 
Recommended Reading
  DREAM ME HOME SAFELY, Edited by Susan Richards Shreve; Forward by Marian Wright Edelman; Houghton Mifflin Company, 223 pgs.
Review by Cathleen D. Zick, Ph,D.

A CONSUMERS' REPUBLIC: THE POLITICS OF MASS CONSUMPTION IN POSTWAR AMERICA ,  Lizabeth Cohen, Knopf, 2003, 525 pgs.
Review by Keith Bartholomew, J.D.
 
Employment Potential
  Check out our new Job Bulletin Board
across from the Main Office, 228 AEB. This information should be of special interest to Seniors, and will answer the the infamous question "What can I do with this major?" for everyone. Look for frequent updates.

Click here to see our new employment potential page.