Family education legacy faculty:
Clara Brown Arny
Photo courtesy of University
Archives, University of
Minnesota, Twin Cities
In 1915, Clara Brown Arny joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota as an instructor in home economics. When she retired in 1953, she was a full professor. During those thirty-eight years, Arny gave outstanding service to education, particularly in the areas of teaching and research in home economics. She has been described as a forceful leader, a prolific producer of research and publications, an inspiring teacher, and a dynamic force in the development of countless graduate students.
While at the University of Minnesota, Professor Arny taught graduate and undergraduate courses in areas such as clothing and textiles, home economics methods, home economics problems, and research methods, among other courses. Arny believed that home economics education should help students apply fundamental principles and processes to the problems of the home and family. She also thought that home economics should fit into the total educational program in the school and be used as a means of promoting better personal and family life.
Arny’s scientific background led her to apply measurement and statistical analysis to the problems of home economics education. Arny’s contributions to education and research were nationally and internationally recognized.
The Clara Brown Arny Graduate Assistantship fund was established in 1988 and first used to support a graduate student in 1990.
