Jean Dearth Dickerscheid (’53 BS, ’56 MS, ’67 PhD) devoted 31 years of teaching, research and service to Ohio State. As a professor of family relations and human development, she worked tirelessly to improve the lives of children, women and families around the globe. Her academic specializations were child development, preschool education and cross-cultural socialization.

She died Oct. 9, 2017, at age 85 in Dublin, Ohio. She is recognized for her enduring contributions as a published author, researcher and graduate-student advisor, as well as for her extensive service to the university as an administrator and to the field and community as a scholar.

Dickerscheid is perhaps best remembered for her landmark leadership in establishing the Critical Difference for Women program at Ohio State.

She initiated the multimillion dollar fundraising effort while serving as associate dean of Ohio State’s Graduate School. She chaired the group from its start in 1985 until her retirement in 1995.

She and her colleagues had a vision of providing funding to advance the education and professional lives of women at Ohio State.

The program lives on today, having provided grants to many faculty, staff and students over the years. It has also attracted new donors, who keep the fund alive.

In recognition of Dickerscheid’s altruistic influence, Ohio State gave her the Presidential Citation in 1991. Her enduring legacy, the program lives on, helping Ohio State women better themselves and contributing to women’s lives through funding for research.

Exemplary service as a faculty member and scholar

Dickerscheid made meaningful contributions to Ohio State from the beginning. As an instructor earning her PhD, she taught the beginning child development course, supervised student teachers and served as lead teacher for the child development laboratory.

After earning her PhD, she became an assistant professor on the tenure track as well as director of the lab. She contributed in this role throughout her career as a full professor.

She served in a variety of administrative roles in the College of Home Economics during her tenure, such as chair pro-tem of the Department of Family Relations and Human Development and chair of the Graduate Studies Committee.

Dickerscheid was an enthusiastic leader of for-credit study tours, taking students to other countries to learn about other cultures. These included a trip to six European countries in 1971 and another to Russia in 1978, both to study child care and education.

As a researcher, Dickerscheid had a part-time appointment with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and conducted a number of research projects.

In 1977-78, she received a grant to visit nursery schools throughout the United States and develop slide sets representing four theoretical models of preschool education.

In 1981, she spent her yearlong sabbatical as a prestigious visiting scientist with the USDA in Washington, D.C.

From 1982 to 1984, she led a research project about the rural development of women in Egypt. She managed the stateside aspects and coordinated with her counterpart at the University of Alexandria in Cairo. Students learned about the project firsthand when Dickerscheid took them on a study tour to Egypt in 1983 to share the findings. Those findings resulted in multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Professional service to the field, the university and the community

Dickerscheid rendered considerable professional service to the field, the community and the university across her career. She held many service positions with the major associations of her field, such as the American Home Economics Association, which presented her with its Leader Award in 1987. She was national president elect of Phi Omicron Upsilon, the home economics honorary, from 1984-86 and national president from 1986-88.

She also lent her expertise to the state and local community, serving multiple years on the Ohio Day Care Executive Board for the Ohio Department of Vocational Home Economics, and the Ohio Day Care Advisory Committee from 1969-71.

She served on advisory boards for the Fort Hayes Career Center, Columbus Technical Institute (today known as Columbus State Community College) and Head Start for the city of Columbus.

Dickerscheid made landmark contributions to Ohio State and society as associate dean of the Graduate School. From 1985 to 1992, she directed the Patricia Roberts Harris Program, a product of Title IX, Part B, that funded women and minorities in need who studied in fields where they were underrepresented.

She received nearly $1 million from the U.S. Department of Education during those years to distribute as fellowships supporting master’s, doctoral and professional degree students.

She led many administrative functions that served students. They included directing the Summer Research Opportunities for students from 1985 to 1988 and again in 1992, in collaboration with the Consortium for Institutional Cooperation.

She also served on numerous university committees, from the Presidential Fellowship Committee to the Affirmative Action Council to the Committee to Study the Feasibility of Establishing a School of Public Health.

After her long tenure at Ohio State, Dickerscheid served as a visiting research professor at a university in Rosarito, Mexico.

Back home, she and her husband of 63 years, Harold Dickerscheid, enjoyed their family, as well as served as volunteers with groups such as CAPA and Global Volunteers in Russia, China and Mississippi.

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