The Department of Home Economics was started in 1913. The department’s objective was to give training in the economic and scientific administration of the household. The department was first located in the Natural Science Building with Mary Elizabeth Edwards as the chair and sole instructor. In 1938, the Home Living Center was established. This center made the department eligible for reimbursement under the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917, which provided for secondary school vocational education in home economics and other fields. The center was opened on Daly Avenue, in Missoula, Montana, but relocated several times over the years.
There was a fiscal crisis in higher education in 1987, during which the Montana Board of Regents voted to eliminate the Department of Home Economics. The department ceased to exist by the summer of 1989. In the course of its activities, the Department awarded degrees to over one thousand students.
From the guide to the The University of Montana. Department of Home Economics records, 1921-1988, (University of Montana--Missoula Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)
