The School of Hospitality Management at Florida International University in Miami has turned a $100,000 gift from NAC into a diverse menu of educational enhancements. The contribution, made in 1990 under the guidance of the late Mickey Warner, a former member of the school’s faculty and an NAC legend, immediately qualified for a $50,000 matching grant from the state of Florida. The combined monies have grown through investment and today support research, other projects and scholarships.
"NAC’s partnership addresses a vital area within the rapidly expanding field of hospitality management," says Lee Dickson, the school’s acting dean. "The association has helped keep concessions-related research and education at the forefront in an effort to promote knowledge among its members and maintain high standards within the industry. Simply put, it has done a great service to everyone."
In the coming year, NAC funds will make possible the rewriting of Recreational Foodservice Management, Warner’s groundbreaking textbook. Shelley Feldman, FIU faculty member and NAC director of education, currently uses the book to teach the school’s undergraduate recreational foodservice management course, as well as NAC’s Certified Concessions Manager course. He has undertaken its revision, and new research he generates in the preparation of the updated version will provide the foundation for a future executive level concessions course.
The school intends to work with NAC to arrange an upcoming concessions certification program at FIU.
The four-day course will take place in FIU’s state-of-the-art conference center.
Also under consideration is a one-day seminar, to be scheduled for later this year and sponsored jointly by NAC and the university. The seminar would bring together concessions industry experts and the school’s faculty for discussion of current trends.
Four hospitality management students received NAC Mickey Warner scholarships for the 1998-99 school year. They are enrolled in the school’s nationally renowned undergraduate program, which offers comprehensive training in food and restaurant management.
NAC’s increased involvement comes at an exciting time for the school. In 1998, leaders in the beverage industry—among them Jim Beam, Robert Mondavi, Seagram and Sutter Home—helped build a $1 million endowment, which will advance cutting-edge research. Southern Wine & Spirits Inc., the country’s largest beverage distributor, recently established the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center, a 4,500 square foot facility opening on campus this summer. On the drawing board are plans for a $2 million building renovation project that includes the equipping of a new executive-management case study classroom.
The School of Hospitality Management currently boasts an enrollment of 850 students from around the world and 45 full- and part-time faculty with industry experience. NAC members visiting Miami are invited to contact Michelle Oney, director of development, at (305) 919-4538 for a tour.
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Auburn and NAC offer recreational foodservice course Along with their partnership with Florida International University, NAC’s Recreational Foodservice Management course is also on the curriculum at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. The Recreational Foodservice Management course was added to the curriculum of the Hotel and Restaurant Management major in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences in 1996. The program prepares students for careers in hotels, restaurant facilities, and other positions in the tourism and hospitality industry. Both undergraduates working toward a Bachelor of Science degree in Restaurant and Hotel Management as well as graduate students working on a Master of Science in Nutrition and Food Science are eligible for the three-credit-hours course. The class is taught by Susan Hubbard, Ed.D., assistant professor and Human Sciences Extension Coordinator, and includes the opportunity to take the NAC certification exam to become a Certified Concession Manager (CCM). |