President’s Message 

Unfortunately, I have sad news to share. Mary Kaye Merwin, IFHE-US Director, Development Fund passed away on Saturday, July 1 after a brief illness. Throughout her career, she made many contributions to the field of Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics. She also had a passion for 4-H which spanned 71 years – as a 4-Her, a 4-H Youth Development Educator and working at the National 4-H Center in Washington, DC. She was named to the National 4-H Hall of Fame in 2017. Her Cooperative Extension work took her from Wisconsin to Texas to Washington, DC and then to New York where she retired as County Director of Nassau County Cooperative Extension. She retired to her home state of Wisconsin in 2005. She has been actively involved in AAFCS and IFHE for many years. She will be greatly missed by family, friends, and colleagues.

On a happier note, it was good for so many of us to be together at the AAFCS Annual Meeting in June. We had good attendance at the 2023 IFHE-US Annual Business Meeting, but we did miss those of you who were not able to make it.

The highlight of IFHE-US events at the AAFCS Conference was the IFHE-US Sharon McManus Cultural Event. Participating in the evening at Morgan State University were 45 members, guests, and students. It was a wonderful evening hosted by Dr. Jacqueline Holland, Chair, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Morgan State. The featured speaker was Dr. Dale Green, professor of Architecture at Morgan State, who provided an intimate history of the university. His great-grandfather founded the college, now university. His ancestors include Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. He did a wonderful job weaving his history and the university’s history together. Two international students shared their perspectives about attending Morgan State and their future goals. The Maryland-style meal provided by the campus caterers was excellent! An evening of networking and connecting was enjoyed by all. Many thanks to Mary Kaye Merwin, Director, Development Fund, for organizing the event prior to her illness, and to Luann Boyer, Director, Finance, who handled the details to make it happen. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Family and Consumer Sciences Scholarship Fund at Morgan State University.

We had two big announcements at the AAFCS Annual Conference!

1. The first was the printing of the IFHE-US History Book. The first copies were sold at the event. Copies are available for sale and for shipping. Later in the newsletter is the process for ordering your copy! Our gratitude to Ginny Hall who wrote and edited the book and to Juanita Mendenhall for bringing the idea to the IFHE-US Board of Directors. Juanita was able to provide much of the information for the book. Her files, along with information from the IFHE-US Past Presidents, along with a copy of the book will be sent to the IFHE-US archives at Cornell University.
2. The second announcement was the information about the IFHE 2024 World Congress Pre-Tour of Ireland. Joyce Cavanagh and I will be the tour leaders. The tour will start on June 15 (leaving the US) and end on June 23, the day activities start for the Congress. Registration for the tour started on July 1. The tour can accommodate 46 members and guests. More information about the Pre-Tour is also available in this newsletter and at the tour website https://fibergarden.com/2024irelandifhe/

We hope you have seen the Call for Abstracts for the IFHE 2024 World Congress. If not, you may find the information in this newsletter and on the Congress website at www.ifhe2024.com. Abstracts are due September 30, 2023. At least one member of a submitting team must be an individual member of IFHE.

Kim Kamin, Director, Director of Professional Development and Program, is planning a Webinar this autumn. Her information about the Zoom meeting is later in this newsletter.

We have many exciting activities planned for IFHE-US members this coming year. We hope you will be able to participate in many, if not all, of them.

Thank you for your continued support of IFHE and IFHE-US. As we heard at the AAFCS Conference, Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics is important work for the sustainability of individuals, families, and communities.

Have a wonderful summer!

Sue Buck

President, IFHE-US

Thanks to everyone who took the time to attend the Professional Development sessions in 2022-2023. Look forward to more opportunities in the Fall and Spring. The presentations will be made via Zoom, with information sent to all who register. A recording is made so that you can watch the recording later. The links to recordings are shared via the IFHE-US newsletter.  Feel free to share the program information with anyone who might be interested in attending. Students are invited to attend.  

2023 - 2024 Programs

Fall (October/November) program: Date to be determined. Details will follow.

Spring program: IFHE-US will celebrate World Home Economics Day on Saturday, March 23, 2024. The topic will be Home Economic 3.0: A critical update. Details will follow. 

Submitted by: Kim Kamin, CFCS

The XXV IFHE World Congress will take place from the 23rd – 28th June, 2024 in Galway, Ireland. The Congress is hosted by National Centre of Excellence for Home Economics (NCHE), St Angela’s College, Sligo, Ireland. The theme of the 25th World Congress is Home Economics in a Time of Transformation: Bridging the Past - Charting the Future. Registration will open in the fall of 2023.

Call for Abstracts: Deadline is September 30, 2023

Professionals, researchers, practitioners and students are invited to submit abstracts aligned with the Congress theme. Delegates from aligned and cognate disciplines are most welcome to submit an abstract. Abstracts for oral presentation, full paper, poster, exhibit, workshop and/or symposium proposals are invited that relate to the Congress theme and one or more of the following sub-themes:



• Home Economics Vision, Philosophy and Literacy
• Sustainable and Responsible Living
• Family and Social Studies
• Food, Nutrition and Public Health
• Food Systems
• Textile Craft, Textile Education, Fashion and Design
• Transformative Education Pedagogy / Curriculum Development Policy
• Home Economics Education
• Education and Wellbeing - Alignment of Policy and Practice
• Consumer Empowerment
• Partnerships for Sustainable and Healthy Everyday Living (with government entities, community, national authorities, industry, CSOs, NGOs etc.).
• Financial Literacy
• Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

Special Invitation to 2024 Pre-Congress Tour

Plans are underway for the 2024 World Congress in Ireland! Members of IFHE-US are invited to participate in a special Pre-Congress Tour.

2024 Ireland IFHE Pre-Congress Tour: June 15-24, 2024

(U.S air departure to Dublin on 6/15)

Land Price: $2,900 per person, double occupancy

$4,019 single occupancy

(Air & insurance additional)

Space is limited, so register early!

Reservation Deadline: December 1, 2023

The Tour website provides the following information:

• 2024 IFHE Ireland Pre-Congress Tour Flyer 
• 2024 IFHE Ireland Pre-Congress Tour Itinerary with a day-by-day look at the fabulous places you will be visiting and where you will be lodging. (Please be advised that this Itinerary is subject to change.)
• Travel Insurance Information.
• 2024 IFHE Ireland FAQs. Answers to many of the questions you might be wondering about. Please review carefully.

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