August 22, 2008, East Lansing, Michigan - 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.
Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center
Bill
Garrison welcomed the first guests to Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center
on September 17, 1951, and today we remain focused on providing award-winning
services to Michigan State University and the public. Much more than a
campus hotel, Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center is the realization
of the visionaries of the past and continues to embody the spirit of service
beyond the campus boundaries.
The original concept was proposed just before the start of World War
II by the Michigan Hotel Association to provide all facilities necessary
to house, feed and conduct an educational conference under one roof. The
inn would be a laboratory for hotel management. The project interested
the Kellogg Foundation as a means to provide a venue for adult education
and fit with the land grant mission of the University. The Kellogg Foundation
financed the building with a $1.4 million grant. The State Board of Agriculture
provided an additional $500,000. Michigan State University thus became
the site of the first Kellogg Center for Continuing Education. There are
now eleven Kellogg Centers throughout the United States.
Today, under the direction of Joel Heberlein, CHA, Kellogg Hotel &
Conference Center continues to serve as a learning laboratory for the 300-400
students each year that are enrolled in The School of Hospitality Business
and other majors. "Our role is still that of facilitating continuing education
through hundreds of conferences, seminars and meetings. We provide our
guests with first-rate accommodations and exceptional service through highly
trained professional staff. We annually host 400,000 individuals for weddings,
seminars, conferences and meetings, and each deserves only the best service,
regardless of the occasion." |
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.
If you or your company is interested in learning more about the project
and how to get involved, please contact Shelley MacMillan at [email protected].
About The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University
Founded in 1927, The School celebrates its 81st year anniversary in
2008. The School has more than 9,000 graduates worldwide, including a number
of leading academicians and industry executives, who have earned both undergraduate
and graduate degrees. The mission of The School is to continually enhance
The School�s leadership position in hospitality business education through
teaching, research, and service. Recognized as the top-ranked hospitality
business school in the world, The School offers an exceptionally well-crafted
curriculum, taught by innovative professors who are leading textbook authors,
sought-after consultants, and respected researchers. The mission of The
School of Hospitality Business Alumni Association is to provide active
leadership in support of the mission of The School of Hospitality Business
through membership participation, image enhancement, financial commitment,
and promotion of synergies among students, faculty, alumni, and friends.
The First, The Original, and STILL The Leader. . . The School of Hospitality
Business. For more information, please visit www.bus.msu.edu/shb/ |