As the fall semester comes to a close, 86 students in the college are finishing their first semester in a learning community. These students are all freshmen, and they’ve spent the last four months taking classes together, participating in group activities outside of the classroom, and for some of them, even living in the same University residence.

Learning communities are designed to help first-year students transition to the college environment, establish connections quickly with their classmates, and find success early in their college career. CFS has four learning communities: Team HTM for Hospitality and Tourism Management majors; CSR for students in Consumer Sciences and Retailing; Marketplace 2020

for students interested in diversity and the global marketplace and workforce; and CFS Honors, a new one this year for students in the CFS Honors program.

Research at Purdue shows that students who take part in a learning community earn higher grades, make friends faster, and are retained and graduate at a higher rate than students not involved in a learning community. This is a unique experience that most first-year students don’t have, and it’s our hope that even more students will be involved next year.

Have a wonderful holiday!
Dennis Savaiano
Dean

Visit the CFS Web site to learn more about the CFS Learning Communities.

Above photo: First-year students in the CFS Honors Learning Community study in the lounge at their University residence, McCutcheon Hall.

The Purdue Boilermakers will take on the Maryland Terrapins in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on December 29, and you’re invited to join us there! CFS will host a gathering for CFS alumni and friends in conjunction with the bowl festivities. Watch the CFS Web site for information on CFS events in Orlando. For information on purchasing game tickets and booking your trip, visit Purdue's Bowl Bound Web site.

Quicken Loans is sponsoring a new professional development course for upper-level selling and sales management students beginning with the spring semester. The Quicken Loans Series: Executives in the Classroom is designed to help prepare students for a successful career in selling and sales and will bring industry leaders into the classroom. Some of the speaker sessions will be open to the public. Visit the Consumer Sciences and Retailing Web site for more information.

Representatives from Quicken Loans were on campus in November. Pictured (from left) are Russell Pit-og, Quicken Loans; Rick Widdows, head and professor, Consumer Sciences and Retailing; Stacey Schetzsle, PhD student in Consumer Sciences and Retailing; Brian Macias, Quicken Loans; and Eric Stoddard, Quicken Loans.

A group of five students from the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) recently returned home after spending nearly a semester studying at Purdue. The exchange program with DIT is in its second year and the study abroad opportunities for foods and nutrition students are growing. Students can now take required courses for their major at DIT or Curtin University in Perth, Australia. A new course is being planned for spring break 2007 in Roanne, France, where students will explore the French paradox as it relates to nutrition, dietary patterns, and cultural practices. Read more about study abroad in the Department of Foods and Nutrition. 

State legislators, legislative staff, and key decision-makers gathered in the Indiana Senate chamber November 20 for the 2006 Family Impact Seminar, “Financing Healthcare for Indiana Families.” The seminars provide the latest research on current family issues in an effort to bring a family focus to policymaking. They are sponsored by the Consortium of Family Organizations, of which the Center for Families at Purdue and CFS Extension are members. Get more information on Family Impact Seminars and this year’s topic.

Sara Lee Food and Beverage is sponsoring a competition to develop an innovative product for potential use by the company. The competition is open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors in foods and nutrition, hospitality and tourism management, food science, and agricultural and biological engineering. Student teams chosen to compete will develop their innovation during the spring semester, and the winning team will receive a major financial award. Get more information on the competition.

Consumer Sciences and Retailing

Sharon A. DeVaney, professor, spoke to 200 retirees at the Purdue University Retirees conference in October. She also presented “Retirement: Partial, Full, or Not at All” for an IP videoconference for Purdue Extension in November.

Jane Matranga, clinical assistant professor, and two apparel design and technology seniors, Jade Gore and Michelle Murbach, had original designs accepted into the International Textiles and Apparel Association (ITAA) design competition. This is a major accomplishment as only 34 percent of all entries are accepted. Their designs were shown at the ITAA conference in San Antonio in November.

Richard Widdows, head and professor, presented a paper, “E-Consumerism: The Challenge for Consumer Affairs,” at the Consumer Response System User Conference in Jacksonville, Florida, in November. Byoung-Min Kim, a PhD student in consumer affairs, assisted him with the paper.

December 17: Winter Commencement

December 29: Champs Sports Bowl

January 12: Purdue on the Road, San Francisco
January 13: Purdue on the Road, San Diego
January 24: Purdue on the Road, Houston
February 5–7: CSR Career Conference
February 9–13: President’s Council–Naples Weekend

March 23: HTM Black Tie Dinner

April 13: Felker Series
April 13: CFS Alumni Awards Dinner

April 14: Spring Fashion Show
April 14–15: Spring Fest

April 14–16: Gala Week

If you have a comment or question about a story, or if you would like to unsubscribe from CFS e-News, please contact us at cfsalums@purdue.edu. Thanks for reading!