Department of Food Science and Nutrition records
Scope and Content
The collection is composed of material from the departments of Food Science and Industries in the College of Agriculture and the Divisions of Foods and Nutrition and Food Service Administration in the College of Home Economics as they existed up until 1972, as well as materials created after the departments merged to form the Department of Food Science and Nutrition in the College of Agriculture.
The collection contains correspondence, alphabetical subject files, including patent files, committee and project reports, course materials, conference proceedings, minutes and record notebooks, scholarship information and departmental publications. The collection dates are 1923 and 2006, with the bulk of the collection dating between 1950 and 1979.
The collection is arranged in 12 series:
- Minutes
- Programs
- Subject
- Publications
- Correspondence
- Administration
- Committees
- Project Reports
- Conferences
- Curricular materials
- Buildings
- Scholarships
- Photographs
Series 1, Minutes, consists of minutes of the department faculty meetings, as well as selected minutes from professional organizations with a departmental representative.
Series 2, Programs, contains materials from various programs that the department participated in with cooperative partners, including cheese sales and international education programs.
Series 3, Subjects, includes patent information, and materials on companies, equipment, processes and events.
Series 4, Publications, contains departmental bulletins and technical reports, as well as some Extension publications pertaining to food science and nutrition issues.
Series 5, Correspondence, includes general and administrative correspondence, as well as the personal and professional correspondence of Dr. Elwood Caldwell, the first head of the department.
Series 6, Administration, contains legislative requests and planning and restructuring documents.
Series 7, Committees, contains committee minutes and reports from department committees, as well as administrative committees from the Institute of Agriculture, College of Home Economics and association committees.
Series 8, Project Reports, are primarily grant-funded project reports, most notably the NC-5 and NC-49 regional cooperative studies on proteins and amino acids.
Series 9, Conferences, consists primarily of materials from the annual Nutritional Status of College Women Conference held between 1935 and 1948, as well as selected milk studies and food intake studies.
Series 10, Curricular Materials, consists of syllabi from selected courses, including food science journalism, short courses, dietetics, and seminars.
Series 11, Buildings, contains information about campus building projects involving Food Sciences and Nutrition.
Series 12, Scholarships, contains information on departmental and industry scholarships.
Series 13, Photographs from Dairy Judging competitions and short courses.
Dates
- 1914, 1923-2006
- Majority of material found within ( 1950-1979)
Creator
Language of Materials
Collection material in English
Use of Materials
Items in this collection do not circulate and may be used in-house only.
Copyright
Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). Requests to publish should be arranged with the University of Minnesota Archives.
Historical Note
Chemistry of Foods first appeared as a College of Agriculture collegiate-level class in the 1899-1900 University Catalogue. The 1901-1902 Catalogue listed Household Science as a Course of Instruction within the College of Agriculture, and the catalogue description noted “while the home needs are first considered, attention is given to the supply and preparation of food in public institutions, boarding houses, restaurants and hotels...”
Courses in nutrition, food management, food preparation, cookery, and dietetics were taught within the College of Agriculture under the Home Economics course of study from the early 1900s to the 1960s. The courses were offered as training for women to work in the home, in a professional field, and in research. Starting in the 1930s, the College also offered curriculum in food technology, which the 1945 College of Agriculture Bulletin described as the “training in preparation for industrial fields such as meat packing; processing, storage, and distribution of fruits, vegetables, and other perishables; canning and pickling…(and) includes…milk products and the products of milling and related industries.”
At the June 25 and 26, 1959, Board of Regents meeting, the Regents “voted on recommendation of administrative officers of the Institute of Agriculture, the Business Vice President, and the President to establish a Department of Dairy Industries in the Institute of Agriculture as of July 1, 1959, to be responsible for teaching, research, and public service in the areas of dairy manufacturing and dairy bacteriology.” Samuel T. Coulter was named head of this new department.
At the June 10, 1966, Board of Regents meeting, the Board voted to establish a new department – Food Science and Industries – in the Institute of Agriculture. The new department was headed by Samuel T. Coulter, and the Department of Dairy Industries formed the nucleus of the new department. The new department carried out “teaching, research, and international programs related to food processing.”
During the 1960s and early 1970s, the School of Home Economics and later College of Home Economics continued offering curriculum in nutrition, food science, and food preparation and management under the Division of Foods and Division of Nutrition and Food Service Management/Administration.
The Department of Food Science and Nutrition was established on July 1, 1972, by merging the Department of Food Science and Industries in the College of Agriculture with the Divisions of Foods and Nutrition and Food Service Administration in the College of Home Economics. This merger followed a joint faculty study of the food, nutrition, and food service management areas in the two colleges, which resulted in the recommendation that one joint department be established with one head administrator. Within this department, overall direction of teaching and research was integrated, and all curricular programs were available to students in both colleges.
Division/Department Heads
Dairy Industries
- Samuel T. Coulter, Head, 1959-1966
Foods
- Isabel Noble, Head, 1965-1968
- Joan Gordon, Chair, 1970-1972
Nutrition and Food Management/Administration
- Robert J. Sirny, Head, 1965-1972
Food Science and Industries
- Samuel T. Coulter, Head, 1966-1972
- Food Science and Nutrition
- Elwood Caldwell, Head, 1972-1986
- Howard Morris, Acting Head, 1986-1987
- Frank Busta, Head, 1987-1998
- Joe Warthesen, Head, 1998-2003
- H. William Schafer, Interim Head, 2003-2004
- Allen S. Levine, Head, 2004-2006
Extent
17.15 Cubic Feet (15 boxes)
Abstract
The collection is composed of material from the departments of Food Science and Industries in the College of Agriculture and the Divisions of Foods and Nutrition and Food Service Administration in the College of Home Economics as they existed up until 1972, as well as materials created after the departments merged to form the Department of Food Science and Nutrition in the College of Agriculture.
Processing Information
This collection was processed with funds provided by the State of Minnesota through the Minnesota Historical Society from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
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- Food -- Study and teaching (Higher). Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Nutrition -- Study and teaching (Higher). Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition records
- Author
- Susan Hoffman
- Date
- January 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Collecting Area Details
Contact The University Archives Collecting Area
