Family education legacy faculty:
Marilyn (Marty) Rossmann
Marty Rossmann was a member of the Family Education faculty for 27
years.
She was a tireless advocate for and promoter of family and
parent education and the Family and Consumer Sciences
teacher education program. She helped found Minnesota’s
Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program and has
taught many of the state’s 4,000 licensed parent educators. Her
findings that children’s
participation in family chores are related to their sense of
responsibility attracted media
attention and recognition. She remains actively involved since retiring from her faculty position in
2004.
Rossmann held leadership roles in many professional organizations and organized nationally-attended Parent Education Institutes at the University. She developed family education courses, brought key community faculty into the program, and oversaw research and training grants totaling over a million dollars. She was instrumental in creating University Foundation funds that support students preparing to become family educators. She carried advocacy efforts to professional organizations, the Minnesota legislature, and national policy forums.
Rossmann has maintained relationships with Family Education alumni, with other units at the University, and with colleagues across campus and in the community. She and actively participated in the University’s Alumni Association and provided service to numerous University-wide committees and groups. Rossmann was named one of 100 Distinguished Alumni of the College of Education and Human Development during the College's centennial celebration in 2006. Recently she was featured as a professor emeritus in the spring 2009 issue of CEHD's Connect magazine in an article titled, Marty Rossmann: promoting proficient parenting.
The Parent Education fund was initiated by Rossmann to support the professional development of parent and family educators and faculty.
