Some students and faculty in the family and consumer sciences education and studies program have become concerned about the future of their program because of the proposed merger of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences with the College of Education.

Yvonne Gentzler, associate professor of family and consumer sciences education and studies, said with the college’s current structure, family and consumer sciences education and studies majors are able to have access to all of the required courses they need to obtain a license to teach family and consumer sciences.

But, Gentzler said, if the college merger takes place, all of the classes currently taught in the FCS college would be combined with classes in the College of Education — raising concerns about possible changes in class content.

“If the colleges merge, and the new college mission no longer embraces the family and consumer focus [of our college], it’s possible that certain departments may align themselves with other colleges or even be eliminated,” she said. “Should that happen, FCEDS curriculum could be impacted.”

Programs within the FCS college are widely varied, covering many areas related to family life and consumers. There are three departments within the college. The Department of Apparel, Educational Studies and Hospitality Management houses the FCS education, textiles and clothing and hotel, restaurant and institution management programs. The other two departments are the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

The separation of these programs could have a far-reaching impact on family and consumer sciences education at Iowa State, Gentzler said.

If some programs currently within the College of Family and Consumer Sciences were transferred into other colleges, the content of some courses may be changed to fit the needs of their new departments, Gentzler said. These courses would no longer fit the needs of students who want to receive a family and consumer sciences education degree, she said.

Mary Linnenbrink, senior in family and consumer sciences education, said if every part of the FCS college were not intact, students like her would not be able to receive a degree in family and consumer sciences education.

Family and consumer science teachers are in high demand, Linnenbrink said, and schools in Iowa and neighboring states call every semester asking for lists of graduates so they can hire them immediately after graduation.

“There would be no new teachers for FCS classes in high school or middle school,” she said.

The College of Family and Consumer Sciences at Iowa State is the only college to offer a family and consumer science education major in the state of Iowa.

Despite concerns about a merger between the two colleges, Gentzler said there may be a way to make one work.

“There are a number of possibilities and different configurations that could work,” she said. “It’s up to the committee to determine what those possibilities are so existing programs can survive.”

According to Daily staff reports, both ISU President Gregory Geoffroy and Pamela White, interim dean for the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, have said no academic programs or majors will be cut as a result of a merger, and students within the colleges will not be directly affected.