School of
Human Environmental Sciences
About HES
The School of Human Environmental Sciences (HES), one of six professional schools at UNCG, is a leading academic unit comprised of five highly-ranked departments, nationally and internationally recognized faculty, "state-of-the-science" research facilities, and interdisciplinary and inter-institutional programs. Currently, there are 1004 undergraduate students and 210 graduate students in the School. Seventy HES faculty consistently garner over $5 million of external funding annually.
Undergraduate programs offered within the School prepare students for professional careers in the various fields of human sciences. Our majors, located within the five departments of the School, are unique in their ability to help students utilize basic principles from many disciplines to solve human problems and to meet social needs. Through its graduate programs, the School of Human Environmental Sciences achieves national recognition. The research programs conducted by HES faculty are widely recognized for their sound science base and innovative qualities. These strong research efforts serve to enhance teaching and support highly challenging and respected undergraduate and graduate programs.
HES Vision Statement
Through teaching, discovery, dissemination of knowledge, and community engagement, HES aims to inspire people and institutions to make the world better, safer, healthier, more just, and more humane.
HES Mission Statement
The exceptional scholarship, research, outstanding teaching, and active community outreach of HES fosters the capacity to enhance the quality of life and improve the environment for individuals, families, communities, and the world at large. Guided by an ethic of caring and interdisciplinary collaboration, HES addresses the needs of people from diverse cultures across the entire lifespan.
History of HES
The School of Human Environmental Sciences began in 1892 as one of the first three academic units of what was then the North Carolina State Normal and Industrial School. The curriculum was in keeping with the original purpose of the State Normal School: "to give instruction to young women which was conducive to their support and usefulness." In 1911, a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics was first offered.
In 1919, the name of the institution was changed to the "North Carolina College for Women," and the name of the unit was changed to the Department of Home Economics from Domestic Science. The 1920s brought many changes in buildings and curricula. A separate Home Economics building was completed in 1928. (We now refer to this building as the 1929 wing of the Stone Building. It underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, with completion in spring of 2005.
In 1931, the North Carolina legislature decided to consolidate the three state-supported institutions of higher education into one system, The University of North Carolina. The North Carolina College of Women (NCCW) became The Woman's College of The University of North Carolina (WCUNC). Miss Margaret Edwards became Dean of Home Economics in 1933, a position that she held until 1951. She was described as "wanting the public to know the possibilities of home economics for enriching the lives of everyone..." and was a vocal advocate for home economics programs throughout the state. Home economics in the 1940s was one of the strongest majors on campus. It was also at this time that the Home Economics (now, the Human Environmental Sciences) Foundation was established, and the Department of Home Economics became a School.
A new wing was added to the Home Economics Building in 1951. Upon completion, this building was recognized as one of three outstanding home economics buildings in the United States, known for having the latest in teaching and research facilities. Dr. Katherine Roberts became Dean in 1952 and was known for expanding the research efforts in the School.
In 1958, Dr. Naomi Albanese became Dean, a post that she held until her retirement in 1982. She was known as a "spirited and enterprising administrator." There was probably no more important change in the history of the School than the beginning of the PhD program. In 1960, the doctoral program in home economics was approved, the first at WCUNC. Dr. Nancy White '63, who was to become a distinguished faculty member in child development, was the first and only recipient of the PhD degree from WCUNC.
The name changed to The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1964, and the campus became co-educational. By the late 1960s, the School changed from an emphasis on teacher training to a more specialized approach in individual subject matter areas, such as child development and family relations, nutrition and food service, interior design, etc. Increased growth characterized the 1970s: student enrollment, faculty, research and external funding, publications, professional conferences and presentations, travel, community service, and new curricula.
By 1987, the name of the School was changed to Human Environmental Sciences. In making this announcement, Dr. Jacqueline Voss (who served as Dean from 1982 to 1992), said that the new name means that, "we will deal with human beings. We will look at the environmental context of those human beings, and we are very much a science-based program."
Dr. Ed Powers served as Acting Dean after Dean Voss' retirement, and Dr. Helen Shaw became Dean in 1994, serving until her retirement in 2000. Dr. Laura Sims became Dean in 2000, and is extremely proud of the tradition and the quality of the programs she has been asked to lead.
Adapted from "The History of the School of Human Environmental Sciences, 1892-1992" by M. Helen Canaday, Rebecca M. Smith, and Sarah M. Shoffner; published by The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1992.
Accredited Programs of HES
Several programs in the School of Human Environmental Sciences are accredited at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The Dietetic Internship in the department of Nutrition is nationally accredited through the American Dietetic Association. The joint Master of Social Work Program operated in conjunction with NC A&T University, is accredited by the Council of Social Work Education. The Birth-Kindergarten interdisciplinary studies in Preschool Education (MEd) has state and NCATE accreditation in Human Development and Family Studies.
Accredited undergraduate programs include:
- Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) (formerly FIDER) accreditation for the Interior Architecture Bachelor of Science degree;
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation for the Social Work bachelor of science;
- American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) accreditation for the Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies Bachelor of Science degree;
- American Dietetic Association (ADA) accreditation of the Human Nutrition and Dietetics Bachelor of Science degree;
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation for teacher education of young children in Human Development and Family Studies;
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation for child care/education in Human Development and Family Studies.
HES Facilities
Stone Building, home to the School of Human Environmental Sciences, consists of the main building, completed in 1951, and the 1929 wing. The Stone Building is home to the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, the Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies, the Department of Nutrition and the Department of Social Work. The Department of Interior Architecture is now housed in the Maud F. Gatewood Studio Arts Building that was completed in 2006. The 99,000-square-foot building is shared with UNCG's Art departments and serves as a creative inspiration for students, faculty and visitors.
The newly renovated 1929 wing of Stone Building houses state-of-the-art distance learning classrooms and a Behavioral Research Laboratory. The Consumer Apparel and Retail Studies Design Lab is state-of-the-art.
The Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies
Instruction facilities located in the newly renovated 1929 wing of Stone consists of the Design and Management Laboratory, the Product Development Studio, and the Costume Collection Storage and Display Room. The renovated 1929 wing of Stone has a cutting-edge marketing research phone center.
The Department of Human Development and Family Studies
HDFS is home to the Family Research Center. The Center, established in 1977, promotes multidisciplinary research on issues related to individuals and families. Two observation/coding rooms surrounding a testing room are located on the ground floor of Stone. Two overhead cameras are positioned on the ceiling of the testing room, affording either split-screen video analyses or separate but simultaneous video recording of events in separate rooms.
The Child Care Education Program enrolls approximately 80 children in preschool and infant-toddler programs in three separate facilities on campus. The facilities are designed to provide high quality early childhood care and education, observational experience, and teacher-training opportunities for students, and to serve as a site for student and faculty research.
The Department of Interior Architecture
Design education in the School of Human Environmental Sciences is a partnership in design exploration between students and faculty. The innovative and inspirational Maud F. Gatewood Studio Arts Building offers up an exciting environment for design. A workstation is assigned to every student and is accessible twenty-four hours a day. The studios provide an environment where students share experiences with one another, help each other with design and drawing techniques, and interact with faculty one-on-one.
The Department of Nutrition
Nutrition Department facilities include modern nutrition science laboratories, The Dickson/Harris Teeter Cellular and Molecular Nutrition Laboratory, and The Human Nutrition Research Laboratory. State-of-the-art equipment includes HPLC, gas chromatography, flow cytometer, radioisotope detection units, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, microliter plate readers, fluorometer, luminometer, an imaging system, high-speed and ultracentrifuges, UV-visible spectrophotometers, standard cell culture and molecular biology equipment, inverted and direct light microscopes with fluorescent capabilities, underwater weighing tank, and exercise testing equipment. A new nutrition education facility opened fall 2002.
The Department of Social Work
SWK moved to Stone Building spring 2005, upon completion of renovations to the 1929 wing. Conference rooms, observation rooms, and rooms containing state-of-the-art audio, video and computer equipment are now available to the department.
Page updated: 18-Nov-2009
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
PO Box 26170, 235 Stone Building
Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
VOICE 336.334.5980
FAX 336.334.5089
EMAIL hes@uncg.edu