In 1968, Colorado State University welcomed Carole Makela, a family and consumer sciences and education scholar, to its faculty.

Over her decades-long tenure at CSU, Makela has watched the campus and faculty transform, with 13 interim and permanent university presidents, a quadrupled Fort Collins population, and extensive renovations and new construction across most of the main campus.

This month marks the professor’s 55th year at Colorado State University, during which she has focused on graduate student research, family sciences and consumer behavior, impacting thousands of students throughout her nearly six decades of teaching in the School of Education.

Inspiring women of Northern Colorado

Makela’s dedication to empowering girls and women didn’t stop after she received the Soroptimist International of Fort Collins Making a Difference for Women Award in 2015. Most recently, she was recognized in the Inspiring Women of Northern Colorado exhibit for her significant contributions to Fort Collins, CSU and the feminist movement.

Campus-wide influence

Since the late 1970s, Makela has contributed to various Faculty Council committees at CSU, holding roles such as chair of the University Curriculum Committee, Board of Governors representative and member of the Faculty Governance Committee; Committee on Scholarship, Graduate Education and Research; Faculty Benefits Committee; and Faculty Improvement Committee. She received the Faculty Council Harry Rosenberg Distinguished Service Award in 2016 for her service.

Research in family and consumer sciences

Since the 1970s, Makela has taught at least 10 courses and authored approximately 50 distinctive articles covering consumer issues, public school communities and curriculum development. Her work in the field extends to serving as the president of the Colorado Affiliate of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences in 2020, where she was praised for her scholarship, creativity and innovative methodology.