Iowa State University Alumni Association| online edition | fall 2005

FALL 2005
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Dancing in Rhythm

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COLLEGE CLOSEUP:
COLLEGE OF HUMAN SCIENCES

At its heart, the College of Human Sciences is about
making a difference in people’s lives,” said Cheryl Achterberg. As the college’s inaugural dean, Achterberg leads departments and programs formerly
housed in the College of Education and the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

New colleges are rather rare, but Achterberg knows something about academic start-ups. Before coming to Iowa State, she was founding dean of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State. Credited with changing the face of its land-grant university, Schreyer “offers an Ivy League-style education minus
the sticker shock,” according to Reader’s Digest magazine.

A scholar of nutrition education, Achterberg also held affiliate professorships in information technology and
education theory and policy at Penn State. Her research focuses on nutrition education among children and adolescents as well as low-income, low-literate, older, and minority populations.

Achterberg shared her vision for the College of Human Sciences at a ribbon-tying ceremony that marked its birth on July 1:

“Please accept my thanks for celebrating the birthday of the College of Human Sciences with us.

“The College of Human Sciences has created a new capacity for connectedness, and it shall be known for the connections it makes: connections between
theory and practice; between thought and action; between disciplines and between qualitative and quantitative research; between learning and service;
and between people of different ages, different needs, different perspectives, and world views. The college will give special attention to children. Its students will also learn to respect those of different
cultures and how to work together for the common good, because at its heart, the College of Human Sciences is about making a difference in people’s
lives.

“We build on the history of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the College of Education. The forebears of this college knew that growth and education were intertwining threads that, in the words of Dean Anna Richardson, “give promise of better physical and mental child health” (1925). Gertrude Chittenden, a former department chair in the 1940s, added that the college provides “the opportunity to develop those abilities, skills, and
interests which promise optimum health of mind and body for children.” The College of Human Sciences builds onto that original vision, extending it from
preschool age all the way through grade 12 and beyond to senior citizens in a comprehensive approach that addresses food, diet, exercise, growth, cognition, teaching, learning, and other life skills.
It will also embrace a global perspective that positions our graduates and faculty to work more effectively in the 21st century.

“There is a genuine synergy among the departments in this new college. Iowa State University is known for its interdisciplinary work, and this new college will carry the flag for that tradition.

“Like other colleges at Iowa State, this college will focus on a series of research questions: What are the grand challenges and discoveries to be made? What are the underlying principles? And in terms of intervention, what works, how does it work, when does it work, for whom does it work, and why does it work? The focus of the College of Human Sciences will be on people – people in families, communities, and workplaces; people in schools, in stores, and in nursing homes; people together, and people alone; people seeking health, meaning, and purpose in their lives; people seeking beauty, and people seeking peace.

“As a college focused on people, we have a great responsibility. We must be open to new ideas and new collaborations. We must rise to this challenge.
Our students should graduate prepared as agents of change. They should know how to work as individuals and as team members. They should understand the
interdependence of organizations and how to interface with different disciplines. They should work for positive change in the world.

“So, it is with open and grateful hearts, curious minds, and giving spirits that we greet the future together and welcome the College of Human Sciences
– here because people matter! Happy birthday. Happy birthday to us all.”

Read on | New program combines diet and exercise to promote health