Human environmental studies strongest department in EHS
Out of the five departments in the College of Education and Human Services, the department of Human Environmental Studies raises the most revenue.
This year, the HES brought in $13.9 million in revenue from state appropriations and tuition. This was the highest of all other departments and accounted for 29 percent of the college’s overall revenue.
The areas focus on the interaction between humans and their natural, constructed and behavioral environments. The programs within environmental studies prepare students for a variety of careers in apparel, merchandising and design, nutrition, dietetics, commercial and residential interior design, early childhood education and family services.
Located in Wightman Hall and the Education and Human Services building, the department has 31 regular faculty, 20 temporary faculty, 12 professional administrative staff and three office professionals. Personnel expenditures for HES total $4.6 million, also the highest of any department in the college.
Enrollment in departmental courses exceeds 10,000 students each year with approximately 850 majors and 500 minors. Graduates of departmental programs enjoy high job placement rates in a wide variety of both private and public sector careers.
One program that is heavily focused in on the Human Environmental Studies program is the early childhood development learning lab. Lead teacher of the lab Ranay Gursky said the interaction with young students is one of the reasons it is so popular.
“They’re [the students] able to practice their skills in a safe environment and an environment where they have experienced teachers that can help them with it because they’re here to gain the experience and practice those skills,” Gursky said.
Apparel Merchandising and Design professor Carol Beard said her program helps students move into the world of design and that’s why they take up this program. Teaching students to get involved is one of the major focuses of apparel merchandising and design.
“If you’re a design student you want to have a lot of your own personal work out there, so develop your portfolio because you don’t want to just stick to coursework,” Beard said. “Do hands-on things. If you do just the stuff that’s in your course work if you’re a design student you aren’t going to get a very good job. Get as much on your resume as possible.”
Along with undergraduate programs, graduate programs are carefully monitored in the CEHS in order to reflect current methods in subject areas. Graduates have high job placement rates in both private and public careers.
