AMES, Iowa -- Given the country's recent economic strife, money management has become a more critical family issue. And that will be the educational focus of Jeanne Hogarth -- the program manager for the Consumer Education and Research Section of the Division of Consumer and Community Affairs at the Federal Reserve Board -- when she visits Iowa State University as the 2009-2010 Dean Helen LeBaron Hilton Endowed Chair in Human Sciences.
As the Hilton Chair, Hogarth will visit campus four times during the academic year to preside over numerous lectures and forums aimed at raising the profile of financial issues critical to individual and family prosperity. She has scheduled visits in the fall semester during the weeks of Sept. 21 and Nov. 9.
She'll deliver a free, public lecture titled "Taking Control of Your Financial Future in Tough Times," at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sep. 22, in the Sun Room of ISU's Memorial Union. A reception will follow at 9 p.m.
"I would like the audience to feel financially empowered," Hogarth said of her lecture. "By that, I mean that they know where to go for trusted, third party, unbiased information in a timely manner, when they need it.
"We have so much going on in our lives -- health, obesity, kids, family -- and because I deal with finances all the time, it becomes second nature," she said. "I have to step back and consider what the average person may or may not know about mortgages, credit cards, etc., and how do they fit that into their grand scheme of life and daily activities? I want people to become aware of resources they can connect with for high-quality help. I want them to feel like they know where to go to get the answer."
Hogarth has research expertise in consumer finance, consumer information and protection, and microeconomics. With the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, she is exploring credit card behavior.
"We have also conducted our own research on financial education and literacy, which is very relevant to the Hilton Chair this year," she added.
Prior to her current position, Hogarth was an associate professor at Cornell (N.Y.) University (1982-1995), an assistant professor at the University of Illinois (1981-1982), and a high school teacher in Olmsted Falls, Ohio (1971-1978).
The Dean Helen LeBaron Hilton Endowed Chair in Human Sciences Lecture is sponsored by the College of Human Sciences with support from the ISU Lectures Program, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body.
Established in 1995, the Hilton Chair was endowed by a gift of more than $1.3 million from the estate of Helen LeBaron Hilton, who served as dean of the College of Home Economics from 1952 to 1975. That college is now part of the College of Human Sciences.
"I'm truly humbled to be asked to be Hilton Chair," Hogarth said. "Helen LeBaron Hilton was a pioneer in the field. It's very humbling to think of being in a position named after her, with the responsibility to do honor to that position. I'm also excited and enthused to help identify something that will be a lasting contribution to the university and the state of Iowa to bring awareness and appreciation to financial capability and education."
In addition to her lecture on Sep. 22, Hogarth will meet earlier in the day with Sandra Dop, Iowa Department of Education coordinator of 21st Century Skills in the new Iowa core curriculum, and ISU teacher education officials.
Additional information may be obtained at: http://www.hs.iastate.edu/hiltonchair.
