Department of Human Ecology Message from the Chair

Dr. Ronald "Reece" Allen

Hello and welcome to the Department of Human Ecology at SUNY Oneonta. Our diverse programs examine the relationship of the individual and their environment. We offer undergraduate degrees in Human Development and Family Studies, Dietetics, Fashion and Textiles, and Food Service and Restaurant Administration. In addition, we offer an online M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics.

Our mission is to prepare professionals capable of developing solutions to the numerous complex issues affecting the well-being of individuals, families, consumers, and communities. We have a diverse faculty who are experts in their respective fields. Many of them have been recognized for their excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Our programs offer many opportunities for experiential learning, both in an out of the classroom. Our Nutrition and Dietetics programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) and include a required internship. The Fashion and Textiles program offers a one-year visiting student program with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), and our students run the on-campus Red Closet Thrift Store and produce yearly fashion shows. Our Human Development and Family Studies program allows students hands-on experience in the Child Development Center on campus and the Bugbee Children’s Center nearby, further enforced by a required internship experience. Students in the Food Service and Restaurant Administration program develop and prepare an on-campus luncheon series.

Thank you for your interest in the department. I encourage you to explore our program areas more fully, and if you are interested in visiting campus, tours can be scheduled through the Office of Admissions. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about our programs.

Ronald M. "Reece" Allen, PhD
Chair, Department of Human Ecology
Assistant Professor, Fashion and Textiles

Our Mission

Prepare competent human ecology professionals capable of developing solutions to complex individual, family, consumer, and community issues as they relate to their area of specialization.

Promote the understanding of the interrelatedness of social, economic, political, technological, cultural, and physical elements that affect the well-being of individuals, families, society, and the world.

Integrate knowledge, theory, research, and application in courses and programs which further the understanding of human ecology.

Utilize scholarship and life-long learning as a means of improving the quality of life at the micro and macro levels of society.

Foster creativity, personal growth, critical thinking, civic engagement, and professional ethics.

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