Mizzou Human Sciences

Important Dates & Activities for Students in the College of Human Environmental Sciences

2010-01-28T08:34:00.022-06:00

Academic Dates & Deadlines
http://registrar.missouri.edu/dates-deadlines.php

Please bookmark this website and refer to it frequently for deadlines to Drop or Withdrawal from a course, or for important dates such as Spring Break.

Feb 4 Spring Study Abroad Fair
The MU International Center will be holding its 3rd annual Spring Study Abroad Fair on from 11:00-2:00 in Stotler Lounge, Memorial Union. The Spring Study Abroad Fair highlights many MU faculty-led summer programs and has information available on all other study abroad options, terms, etc. available to MU students. Drop by the fair to learn more about these opportunities.

Feb 26 Excellence in Advising Awards
Nominate your favorite faculty advisor or professional advisor for the MU Excellence in Advising Award!
One Faculty and one Professional Undergraduate Advisor can be nominated by completing a nomination form by February 26, 2010. The nomination form can be found on the Advisors Forum website: http://advisorsforum.missouri.edu/awards.shtml.

March 1 to May 7 Become a Walking School Bus Volunteer!
A Walking School Bus is a group of 5-10 children who walk to school together under adult supervision. PedNet needs Walk Leaders for the spring 2010 session from March 1 to May 7
for 2 to 3 shifts per week, between 8am and 9am or 3:30pm to 4:30pm, no Fridays.
Benefits:
· Interaction with school children
· Great resume builder
· Be part of a successful community health initiative
Sign up with a friend and walk together!
For more information: http://pednet.org/programs/walking-school-bus.asp
To sign up: http://pednet.org/programs/wsb-registration.asp

March 15 deadline for abstracts Missouri Life Sciences Week
Missouri Life Sciences Week has been an annual celebration of life sciences at MU for more than 25 years. Events during the week April 12-17, 2010, will include seminars by internationally acclaimed researchers, an impressive 2-day poster session and research competition featuring over 300 research projects, MU core facility and research center exhibits, scientific supply vendor show — plus workshops and networking opportunities. Abstract submission deadline is 8:00 am, Monday, March 15. For all the details and to submit a poster abstract, go to: http://lifesciencesweek.missouri.edu

May 14, 2010 HES Commencement Ceremony
2:00 pm at the Hearnes Center
No limit on guests - no tickets required

May 15, 2010 Honors Convocation
9:00 am Francis Quadrangle {Rain Location – Mizzou Arena}
No limit on guests - no tickets required
If you plan to graduate during 2010 school year and have not submitted a request for a Graduation Evaluation – you should do so immediately. The form is available in 117 Gwynn Hall. For more information about Commencement: http://commencement.missouri.edu/

Mizzou Reads: Summer Reading Program

2009-07-09T08:07:00.018-05:00

The Mizzou Reads program introduces new students to the academic culture of Mizzou. It offers all members of the MU community an opportunity to engage in discussions on topics of civil, social, and cultural importance. The reading program encourages students to begin examining their own life, values, and goals. The journey to become an educated person and life-long learner begins with meaningful interaction between students and faculty.

The Mizzou Reads program offers small group discussions throughout the campus during the first few days before classes begin. Students will learn about the book discussion times and locations when they move into their residence halls in August. The discussion groups offer an excellent introduction to the academic experience in a low pressure, informal environment. Students are encouraged to attend several discussion groups to meet a variety of students and faculty.

Over the past five years students have read books on a wide range of topics through this program. Book selections have included non-fiction titles such as Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age, and fiction stories such as Tortilla Curtain which contrasted the life of an illegal immigrant couple with a middle class couple both living in California and seeking the American dream. No matter what book the campus selects for the reading program, I am always pleased to discover that the themes relate in some way to issues in Human Environmental Sciences.

This year's selection, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, is no exception. The book debuted as the #1 book in the nation, and it held the top position for 4 straight weeks. In addition to being #1 on The New York Times hardcover fiction list, it also was #1 on nearly every national bestseller list, including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

The book's main characters, Mariam and Laila, are two women who are born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love, education and family. They are brought together by war, by loss and by fate. They come to depend on each other for survival. Their experiences in a dangerous environment create a bond in which they choose to become both sisters and mother-daughter at times. Hosseini provides a story that illustrates how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice and courage. The power of love and the strength of family can provide the keys to survival under the most difficult circumstances.

The College of Human Environmental Sciences is concerned with improving the quality of life for individuals and families wherever they live and work. Quality of life is one person’s perception of, and satisfaction with, his or her circumstances. In the Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, McGregor and Goldsmith[1] define quality of life as hope for the future, land, adequate food, clothing, shelter, income, employment opportunities, maternal and child health, and family and social welfare. As you read A Thousand Splendid Suns, think about the quality of life for Mariam and Laila at different times throughout the book. What determines their quality of life? How does their quality of life change over time? What do Mariam and Laila do to help improve their quality of life? How does the quality of their life compare to others where they live? How does the quality of their life compare to yours?

Read -- Think -- Discuss -- Relate -- Enjoy

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[1] McGregor, S.L.T. and Goldsmith, E.B. (1998). Expanding out understanding of quality of life, standard of living, and well-being. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 90(2), 2-6, 22.

Better Living-- Solutions for Missouri Families

2009-06-18T11:58:00.015-05:00

A Brief Bit of History

Mizzou was established in 1839. The University of Missouri was the first public university west of the Mississippi River. In fact, it's the first in Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase Territory. You can read more about our rich Mizzou history. Federal legislation known as the Morrill Land-Grant College Act was passed in 1862. This legislation provided federal land as a gift to each state to establish a public institution for higher education. Mizzou was awarded 'land-grant' status in 1870. The mission of each land-grant institution, according to the 1862 Act, is to focus on teaching, science and engineering in addition to the historic core of classical studies. This was largely in response to the industrial revolution and changing social class structures.

The Land-Grant Mission in Three Part Harmony

The mission for all land-grant institutions includes teaching, research, and dissemination of information to the citizens throughout the state. Faculty teach students in classrooms and through on-line courses. Faculty continue to develop new knowledge through research. They don’t just read the textbooks and teach from what is already known—they conduct research to discover new knowledge, and they bring that new information to the classroom. Then, faculty disseminate that knowledge throughout the state through the University of Missouri Extension Service. There are 114 counties and the City of St Louis in Missouri. Mizzou faculty are located in all of these counties to bring the information and research from our campus to the citizens. You can locate your county extension office at http://extension.missouri.edu/

MU Extension offers a wide array of topics from managing a small business to updating the energy efficiency of your home to creating a fire protection plan for your community. The faculty in the College of Human Environmental Sciences focus on home and health, child care, personal finance, etc. The Better Living publication features some of our most recent research. You can find much more available online at MissouriFamilies.org.

About MissouriFamilies.org

MissouriFamilies provides unbiased, research-based solutions for better living. Mizzou faculty are engaged in research and have expertise on topics such as family financial education, designs for living and working environments, human development, nutrition and wellness, and community support systems.

MissouriFamilies is provided by University of Missouri Extension, a partnership of the University of Missouri campuses; Lincoln University; the people of Missouri through county extension councils; and the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The College of Human Environmental Sciences strives to bring solutions for better living to you and your family.

Welcoming our new students

2009-06-10T21:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Mizzou
This week we begin Summer Welcome to meet the incoming freshmen students and register them for fall classes. New students are excited, nervous, eager, apprehensive, sometimes undecided, sometimes overwhelmed, but always anxious to begin the transition from high school to college. Their energy is inspiring and contagious.

In many ways Mizzou is a big place. We have more than 30,000 students. It is possible to be anonymous and attend classes without attracting attention or meeting other students. But it doesn't have to be that way. HES is a smaller college at a large university. It is very possible to meet a lot of students, get to know faculty and get involved on campus. I encourage all students to take advantage of the wonderful resources of a large public institution while reaping the benefits of what feels like a small private college dedicated to their academic interests.

Welcome to the College of Human Environmental Sciences
With a 109-year tradition at Mizzou, we continue to focus on creating scientific solutions to everyday problems. The times change, the technologies change, but the emphasis on improving the quality of life for individuals and families does not change. Visit our website to learn more about the faculty and degree programs we offer http://hes.missouri.edu/