It was really great to have Eileen Keating, the archivist for the College of Human Ecology, come share with us some truly important history of Cornell University during the Rose Cafe. She discussed the impact that Flora Rose and Martha Van Rensselaer had in helping to make Cornell a more inclusive place. The two were big proponents of the field of home economics and believed that it could serve as a path to higher education for women. Through various quotes and accounts that Eileen Keating shared, one thing that really struck me was just how passionate these two amazing women were about promoting this movement and field.I also found it particularly cool that these two women had a pretty close relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt. Having this connection allowed the movement to gain further traction and prominence. Their efforts eventually led to the development of the College of Human Ecology!

Attending the talk definitely allowed me to appreciate the importance of the College of Human Ecology even further. It is clear that the home economics movement significantly impacted the mission and direction of this college, as its array of interesting majors, such as nutritional science and fiber science, were certainly inspired by the efforts of this movement led by Flora Rose and Martha Van Rensselaer.