y husband Sam and I moved to Georgia in 1991, and I am completing my 13th year as Dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. It’s been a remarkable 13 years. As we became more familiar with the state of Georgia, Sam and I dreamed of having a place in the North Georgia mountains. Five years ago, we found an ideal location and had a cabin built in Rabun County. Our adventures in the area include hiking on Bartram’s Trail, attempting to keep up with our grandchildren on hikes to Rabun Bald, and explorations at Black Rock Mountain State Park and Moccasin Creek State Park.

Time spent at our cabin in the mountains, although brief, gives me a sense of perspective and brings renewal. Experiences there provide insights for understanding and dealing with the challenges of a growing and dynamic college in a time of high scrutiny of higher education. I want to share a couple of those insights with you in this message from the desk of the dean. (Actually, I’m writing this on my laptop and watching the sun come up over Pinnacle peak just outside of Clayton.)

While hiking the Tennessee Rock Trail at Black Mountain State Park in early April, I saw trillium in bloom for the first time. We had hiked this trail several times before, in fact, just two weeks earlier, but usually in different seasons. Trillium! That delicate beauty of the Great Smokey Mountains. Whereas experts would identify the foliage and know that the trillium is always present, an unaware person such as I only noticed the trillium when it bloomed and attracted my attention in a very special way. This started me thinking....

Family and Consumer Sciences is a lot like that. Graduates with degrees in the various specialized areas of the profession are in our human-built environments: research laboratories, hospitals, counseling centers, retail stores, classrooms, residential and day care centers, corporate offices, design studios, building sites, test kitchens, government offices, financial institutions, at home, and on-line. Unless they are well-informed or something special happens, the public who come in contact with our profession may have no awareness of who we are or what our special contributions are to developing products and services meeting the needs of consumers, promoting individual and family well-being, and fostering community environments for healthy personal and social development.

Wouldn’t it be great for our college if more people knew who and what we are? So, like the slogan of a few years ago suggested, “Bloom where you are planted.” Get their attention and help tell our story.

The feature stories in this issue of the FACS Magazine tell how some of our graduates have nurtured a business concept, adapted in response to changes in the economic environment, and used today’s tech nology. Another story focuses on the relationship between the academic experience in FACS, the influence of faculty, and career achievements. Every graduate and friend of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences can help to move our College and profession from the status of “undiscovered” or “taken for granted” to “valued” and “awesome.”

One more insight from hiking is relevant to our current financial situation in the College. On a very warm day last June, Sam and I were hiking on Bartram’s Trail near our cabin. Most of the trail was downhill as we left Courthouse Gap. We knew we would have to hike back up that trail when we returned, but we continued to explore longer than originally planned. When we finally started back, heat and fatigue made the challenge seem nearly impossible. What do you think I was thinking about as I faced each steep section of the trail? The College BUDGET!

As I shared with you in recent issues of the FACS Magazine the College, like most other units at the University, has experienced substantial budget reductions as Georgia’s economy took a nose-dive in the past three years, and our enrollment has increased. Although each cut was a challenge, we have found the resolve to carry on without diminishing the quality of a FACS education. Just as I asked myself on the hike back up Bartram’s Trail, “Can I do it?” and answered “Yes,” the College faculty and administration have met the challenge of our steep enrollment increase and reduced resources.

Many of you have joined us on this trek into the future with your support of financial contributions, time, and pride in your College. I hope you enjoy the surprises in the new ways we are “blooming.” Your loyalty and generosity will help us meet today’s challenges and take us to ever-higher peaks of accomplishment.

Sharon Y. Nickols, Dean