School of Hospitality Business at MSU Receives Grant from J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundatio

$1.3 million for the $5.8 million Culinary Business Learning Lab Revitalization Project

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. October 14, 2008

EAST LANSING, MI, August 22, 2008. The $5.8 million Culinary Business Learning Lab revitalization project in the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center is well underway, with an initial grant of $1.3 million from the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation.

It takes innovation and vision to be a leader. And as a School that seeks to be The Leader in Hospitality Business Education, The School is deep in the planning and development stages of creating a revitalized Culinary Business Learning Lab, where "top talent meets technology," "research meets real world," "sizzle meets sustainability," and where "culinary creativity meets business acumen." The $5.8 million project is already underway, with an initial grant from the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation in the amount of $1.3 million.

The new Lab will be located in the space where The School's Wall of Fame, dining room kitchens, and demonstration classroom / auditorium now exist in the lower level of the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. Those facilities have served The School and its students well for 20 years, just as the 1940s food labs and the state-of-the-art Food Lab within the brand new Kellogg Center in 1951 served in their time. Many alumni remember with fondness the hours they spent in what were then cutting-edge facilities.

"The new Culinary Business Learning Lab will honor our past, but look to a 21st century future," explains Director and Professor Ron Cichy. Plans include:

---| A new entryway, highlighting a new Alumni Association Hall of Fame honoring select alumni and setting the appropriate tone as one enters the new space. The Hall of Fame will even more appropriately honor those inducted, and inspire the students who work and study in The School.

---| A new demonstration theater, with a contemporary demo kitchen front and center, and presentation and staging areas for tastings and guest lectures. The advanced audiovisual component will allow instructional activity to be broadcast to students in the teaching and research kitchen as well as to distance learning students.

---| A teaching and research kitchen providing hands-on learning space through activity pods with individual stations for students, each outfitted with the latest in equipment.

---| A completely renovated dining room with expanded seating and multi-use availability for MSU and the community, as well as national and international industry and academic partners.

---| Seeking the new LEE D (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. LEE D is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings, recognizing performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials, selection, and indoor environmental quality.

"The new Culinary Business Learning Lab will invigorate and expand our students' experiences and capabilities," says Professor of Culinary Business Allan Sherwin (BA '64). "And even more than before, companies will use The School as The place for executive development."

The Marriott Foundation grant will get the project underway, providing funds to create the new entryway and Hall of Fame, as well as the demonstration theater. The rest of the project will use funding from other corporations and from individuals who wish to donate to the project.

The Culinary Business Learning Lab advisory committee is led by two very dedicated alumni, Phil Hickey (BA '77), and Richard Farrar (BA '73). Both individuals are optimistic about raising the remaining funds.

"Our alumni are leaders in every segment of the industry, including foodservice management and culinary business," says Phil. "They know how necessary this project is, and how much the industry needs leaders educated in the most up-to-date techniques with the most cutting-edge technology." Richard agrees, but notes that companies have an incentive to donate funds and equipment to the project, as well. "Today's students are tomorrow's decision makers," he says. They will be making purchasing decisions based in large measure on their past experiences with products and equipment they used in the teaching and research kitchen."

A concerted development effort is an integral part of making the project a reality.