News & Events

Midwest Sub-Regionals Coming Soon

The Midwest Region Nutrition Committee has planned some great sub-regionals coming soon to your area.  The first will be held at Purdue University on April 9, 2013.  "Innovations for the Food Allergic Diner"  will give you insights on the growing special dietary needs of our students and helpful information to provide them a fabulous dining experience.  You can go to this link for more information.....

http://www.regonline.com/nacufs_subregional_purdue

More information will also be coming soon to the Midwest Region Web Page.

Midwest President's Message

Happy New Year, Midwest Voting Delegates!

Those few days enjoying a relaxing holiday to catch up with family and friends was a needed prescription and now a year of fresh beginnings.   Jumping into a new semester and a new year: be resolute in your planning!  Add NACUFS to your, “must do- must see” for 2013. 

NACUFS National: 

• March 8 Summer Institutes application deadline
• April 12 Operating Performance Benchmarking Survey deadline
• April 12 Loyal Horton Dining Awards deadline for Categories 1-5
• May 31 Northern Experience: Minneapolis - http://www.nacufs.org/professional-development-national-conference/ deadline for registration

Your council representatives have diligently planned an excellent event offering options and opportunities for education in the Midwest Region.

Mark your calendars and plan to attend:

• March 24 -Pre-conference roundtables -  “Back by popular demand” The Midwest region will be sponsoring Nutrition, Retail and Trends – check out the conference registration for more details.

• March 24-27 -The 2013 Regional Conference in beautiful Columbia, Missouri will make an IMPACT on the Local, Regional and Global opportunities that are available to you as a NACUFS member.  Visit and register at: http://www.nacufs.org/regions-midwest/midwest-conference/  It will impact YOUR 2013.  Conference Chair, Steve Simpson and the Campus Dining Services will nourish you with the Mizzou Spirit.

As we continue to find cost saving and economic ways to provide our college campuses with great dining experiences it is not by chance that you will have an opportunity to take part in some excellent educational seminars just a few miles down the road. 

Our Nutrition committee will be co-sponsoring 3 sub-regionals in 2013:

• Purdue University – April 9, 2013  - look for registration to open Feb 1.  
• Eastern Michigan University – May 16, 2013  
• University of Kansas – November 6, 2013

For those looking at new culinary challenges we will be hosting a sub regional at:

• The Ohio State University – May 2013

Keep warm, mark your calendars!  Spring is coming soon!

Greg Minner

Purdue University

Ashland University Dining Presents Eagles in the Kitchen

This fall, Ashland University Student Dining joined the Dietetics department to provide a unique opportunity to Ashland University Students. On Monday, November 12, these organizations put on the first “Eagles in the Kitchen” cooking class. The event took place in the dining hall kitchen of the John C. Myers Convocation Center, which is known around campus as “Convo.” At this event, Executive Sous Chef, Kevin Burke, instructed students on how to make a delicious and nutritious entrée that would fit perfectly into any holiday celebration. 

Fifteen students attended the cooking class. Upon arrival, students received a chef’s hat and a purple apron complete with “Ashland University” embroidered on the front. Chef Kevin welcomed the group to the first “Eagles in the Kitchen” event and shared a bit of his background. Then each student shared their name, major, and any cooking experience they had. A few students had previous restaurant experience or grew up cooking holiday meals with mom and dad. One student confessed “I can’t cook” which was her primary reason for attending the event. 

All of the students appeared to be excited to learn how to cook. Junior entrepreneurship major, Andie Kinsley, was looking forward to the event. “I know how to cook simple things-like chicken, but I wanted to know more” Kinsley explained. Nicki Overmyer, a sophomore Digital Media Production major said the event “sounded fun. I thought it would be cool to learn what goes on behind the scenes of convo.”   

After all introductions were made, students separated into four groups and chose a cooking station that consisted of a sauté pan, a cutting board, and all the ingredients students would need. Chef Kevin explained to the group the dish that they would be preparing. The entrée consisted of Apple Cider Chicken with Cranberry Apple Quinoa. His reasoning for choosing this dish was that it was “simple, yet healthy! All you need is a sauté pan!” 

Chef continued on to demonstrate the first step in preparing the dish. Several of the ingredients in the recipe needed to be chopped prior to cooking. Chef demonstrated the correct standing posture and hand placement for cutting with a chef’s knife while chopping several of the ingredients that students needed. Then students were let loose to try out their cutting skills under the watchful eye of Chef Kevin. 

After all the ingredients were chopped and prepared for cooking, Chef Kevin described the process of sautéing chicken. “In French, ‘sauté’ means ‘pop’ or ‘jump’” said Chef. After combining several ingredients in the pan, the students added the quinoa and the remaining ingredients. 

After all the ingredients had been added, the stove temperature was lowered and the dish simmered for about fifteen minutes. During this time, Chef Kevin gave examples of other items that could be a substitute for chicken. In addition, several students were not familiar with quinoa so Chef Kevin explained the taste, uses, and nutritional value of the seed. He also explained several other cooking rules. “What needs to be cooked the longest should be cooked first” Chef Kevin said was one important cooking rule. 

Once the dish simmered, it was ready to eat! Students were eager to taste their creations and you could see the pride on each of their faces as they dug into the apple cider chicken and cranberry apple quinoa. Many of the students said that the dish was “different, but good.” 

“I saw smiling faces at the end of class so it seemed as though the students enjoyed themselves” said senior Dietetics major, Heather Bumbalough. Bumbalough along with junior Dietics Major, Victor Pool, assisted in planning the event. When asked why they wanted to plan an event of this kind, Bumbalough replied “to teach cooking skills and nutrition in an interactive experience.” Pool explained that his goal was “to teach people how to cook because not knowing how to cook is a big problem in our society.” 

Post written by Colleen Martin, Public Relations Intern at Ashland University

Fall President's Message from Greg Minner

Greetings to the NACUFS Midwest Region:

The 2012 Olympics are history and it’s time for FOOTBALL! Hang on tight and punt if you have to. As president of the Midwest Region, I find it an honor to speak with you and express gratitude for all those involved with creating the fantastic excursion we had in Boston; What an opportunity for networking, training and variety of super sessions. Thank You! The conference infused a jolt of fresh ideas and new energy to return to our campuses and Run for the Gold! 

One last note on Boston—Yes, the Midwest region won its share of gold medals. In the Culinary Challenge: Laura Marie Strunk, from the University of Notre Dame, Midwest Region - 1st Place, Gold Medal… Laura, please take another bow!  A job well done and a delicious entrée!  The Loyal Horton Dining Awards a Gold medal to Ashland University for On-line catering menu, Cleveland State and The University of Michigan for their Catering Special Event entries. 

A special thank you goes to Carol Petersen from the University of Northern Iowa for serving as President of the Midwest region. Her leadership, service, and commitment is evident in the great opportunities we have had as a region.  Also, a special thank you to Zia Ahmed, Past President from The Ohio State University, Deanna Park, Education chair from The Ohio State University, Kayleen Vander Veen Culinary Challenge chair from Central College and Karen Adkins, 2012 Midwest Region chair.  Their dedication and service keep our region strong.

A special welcome to the regional board: Barry Greenburg, Treasurer from the University of Iowa, Doni Walker, Education chair from Illinois State University and Steve Simpson, chair 2013 Midwest Regional at University of Missouri.

On the NACUFS National Board for 2013 will be Mike Rice from Michigan State as Guest Director, Terry Waltersdorf from Faith Baptist Bible College & Theological Seminary as At-Large Director, Rich Neumann from Ohio University as Secretary/Treasurer and Nona Golledge from University of Kansas as Past President.  Please thank them for their continued service to NACUFS on a national level; they are dedicated to the success of college dining and our region.

Please join with me in extending a warm welcome to our new executive director, Gretchen Couraud, CAE, CFRE. Gretchen has more than 25 years in non-profit and association management, with extensive experience in government relations, issue advocacy, strategic planning, and organizational leadership. She is currently the executive director for the Michigan Library Association (MLA), a position she has held the past seven years.  Gretchen starts November first and will prove to be a positive force as she serves in this position of leadership.  She is third executive director in the association’s 54-year history, and will succeed Joseph Spina, CAE, Ph.D., who is retiring after 22 years of service to the association.

The regional council will meet on November 1-2, 2012 at University of Missouri, Columbia, the site of the 2013 Regional Conference, “IMPACT” Local, Regional, Global.  The 2013 conference will be March 24-27, 2013. A great lineup of General Session Speakers is in the works, the return of Pre-conference roundtables and special Super Sessions. Please look for registration to start in December.

YOU are an integral part of the Midwest Region.  Make an “IMPACT”!  Volunteer.

Greg Minner
Purdue University

Adkins, Allen Receive 2012 President's Awards

The 2012 President's Award winners were presented at the Midwest Region breakfast during the NACUFS National Conference held in Boston this past July.  The recipients of this award were Karen Adkins from Ball State University and Robin Allen from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Past President Carol Petersen said of Karen "She is one of those unsung heroes that go about their work diligently, not letting anyone or anything get in the way of what needs to be accomplished."  Karen's tireless work on the 2012 Region Conference held in French Lick, In was truly "Regional, Redefined" with great speakers, an awesome showcase and culinary challenge, at a truly grand hotel property.  There was no challenge too big to overcome and the hugely successful conference is a testament to her great leadership.

Karen Allen was lauded by these words of Past President Carol Petersen, "What I love most about Robin is her enthusiasm and passion about nutrition, wanting everyone to have access to the correct information and her willingness to do whatever it takes to be sure the information is available to all who desire or need it at our NACUFS member schools."  Robin first "starred" in a NACUFS Nutrition Webinar, then became a member of the regional council as Nutrition Chair and is now chair of the NACUFS National Nutrition Committee.  She has been instrumental in publishing several regional nutrition newsletter.

Congratulations to both Karen and Robin on jobs well done.

'Twas the Night Before FSMI - Mindy Pendreigh

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T’was the night before FMSI, when all through campus
All creatures were stirring, including “mouse”.
Travel bags were packed, by the door they were laid,
In hopes new friendships would soon be made.

Participants mingled with ice breaker in hand,
With missions and merchandising,  the “magic” began.
And Kirk at the helm, and Carrie by his side,
 We knew our brains were in for a long week’s ride.

Arriving to Rich’s there arose such a clatter,
We sprang from our seats to see what was the matter.
No Peets coffee? This is not hot!
Away to Wegmans, Bettye brewed up the pot.

Smiles were donned for the group photo
Julaine gave way to cost control , and more projects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
Ballerinas on stage! How sweet! How dear!

With Arlene , so lively and quick,
Learning HACCP and Sanitation, we will not be sick.
More rapid than the Niagra Falls, Julaine’s courses came alive,
Financial reports and budgets , she whistled, we would derive!

On Catering, On Retail! On Residential! We were divided.

            Quickly through storming, on to group norming; we decided!
To the floors for group meeting, working late into the night!
We worked hard to stay on task!  Or this project might be a fright!"

Morning came early, Menu building would fly,
With Quality Assurance in hand, projects became the sky.  
With the session of choice- participants flew,
Skills being learned, we became a good crew.

And then, in a twinkling, we rallied upstairs
R&D Tour – Rich’s passion for customers was bared.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
The Pizza Sub BBQ Factory to the next project, with a bound.

Mike was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
His clothes embellished with thermometers; at times looking for soot.
The Pizza, Sub, BBQ Factory was open-- bundling food for Rich’s staff.
As Mike peddled unexpected surprises, we all had a good laugh.

Kirk’s eyes-how they twinkled! Arlene’s dimples how merry!
Janet’s encouraging words were like roses, Carrie’s presentation voice like a cherry!
They relieved the stress, mentors wanted each of us to grow
Knowledge and stories, we told, all should know.

Janet reviewed NACUFS 101 with exclamation,
Home office and volunteers, support richness within our organization
We had a broad look at the possibility
We can support this group, we share the opportunity!

Practice, Practice! Pitching final projects, a learning of presentation,
Constructive criticism and positive accolades, I gained for my notation!
With trust and respect for one another; Our own style, unique to each,
Soon we appreciate our own little niche.

We climbed onto the bus, to Niagara Falls in the making,
And filled our eyes, sights that were breathtaking.
At Hard Rock Café, the magic began again,
Enjoying each other’s company, donned with a grin!

We sprang to the bus, one last time,
To see the falls gleam in the light, reflection worth more than a dime
“I’ve learned so much this week!”, “You all are so dear!”
"Thank you to all, and to all a good-year!"

Facilities Management Institute - Lisa Krausman

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With the completion of the Facilities Management Institute, I am one of the fortunate few to say they have completed all the NACUFS institutes.  Not only have I completed them, but I was fortunate enough to co facilitate FSMI for one year and facilitate it for two.

So when asked what do the institutes mean to me, my reply is as follows:
* Education -the institutes ARE one of the best educational values for industry that you will find.  The educational competences of each one has helped me develop into a stronger professional.
*Networking - by attending and facilitating the institutes, I have been able to meet 233 different participants, coach/mentors, and staff.  Wow!  Think about the vast amounts of knowledge and information from those contacts I can utilize and reach out to when I have an obstacle that I need to solve.
* Professional development - eight institutes, eight projects with presentations working with other team members that you just met that week was always a highlight and huge learning experience.
* Teamwork – throughout attending and facilitating the institutes, I have learned it is just like the workplace.  Some teams blend well, others may not blend as well, but there was always great conversations and something to learn from the process.  The team had a common goal for to accomplish during the week and may just need to go about it a different way to get it done.

Here is a little more about my personal institute progression.  First I started with FSMI (Foodservice Management Institute) in 2001.  There was such great information that could be applied to the job regarding budgeting, menu planning, cost control, and reading financial reports.   Some of the information was familiar from what I had learned in college, while some was new.  In the institutes you break into teams for group work.  I was in a great group – in fact I always felt fortunate of the groups I was in.  Even eleven years later, many of the group members are individuals I still keep in contact with and love to catch up with at the National NACUFS Conference each year.

Overall,  I loved the experience and applied to facilitate it.  Facilitating an institute is no small job.  You need to be ready for anything at any time.  Travel problems, individuals dropping out last minute and filling their spot…..and my personal favorite-getting questioned by border control upon rentering the country with a van full of people.

After working with FSMI, I decided to apply for Human Resource Institute in 2005.  This seemed like a logical progression to me. More importantly, in my professional life I felt I needed to improve on my skills in this area.  Since attending this institute, I cannot begin to count the number of times I have returned to my HRI binder to look for information I learned from this institute – whether it is interview questions, probing questions, coaching/mentoring notes, or general human resource policies.  There is a wealth of information that was learned and shared at this institute.

In 2006 I was at Leadership Institute.  Tom Champoux – “the LI legend” – is such as great speaker and facilitator.  Everyone in our group learned a little more about themselves and others they work with.  Additionally you learn how to work with so many different personalities to reach your common goal.

In 2007 I went to Planning Institute.  That week Bruce Flye walked us through various elements of long term and short term strategic planning, capital improvement planning and capital budgeting.  Building a vision and mission and how this is not only important at the department or division wide, but has benefits for the specific units to do this when developing specific programs.  I immediately turned around and used some of the information and different processes for brainstorming in our staff retreat that fall.

The next stop for me was going to Customer Service Institute in 2009.  During this week, it was hard not to focus on customer service.  First, every experience from the hotel to various meals were first rate.   The program was great and really got me thinking about what was important to me as a customer and where we may be falling short on the customer service experience.  Over the years there have been a number of us who have attended CSI from UNI.  This which has beneficial as we have worked on putting together a similar training program for our operations to help implement the information we have learned.

I attended Financial Management Institute in 2010.  One would think you could get bored talking about budgeting and financial analysis for a week, but this was a great institute.  It was so much more than your college accounting course.  All of the information discussed actually specifically to the college and university food service segment.  Additionally, you were given a number of different ideas on how to approach revenue generating opportunities through residential, retail and catering operations.

 Later that same year, I was fortunate to attend Marketing Institute.  This institute was at a great point in my career as my job position at UNI had changed from a residential dining manager to a purchasing manager/administrative dietitian.  As a residential manager, I had been doing the dietitian duties as well, but with the position change, it was a great opportunity to carve out more time for our nutrition programming.  MI gave me a number of great ideas on how to approach our nutrition programming and make sure we are getting the information to the right people.  Additionally I learned a lot on social media and the possibilities of incorporating that into our programming.

This summer I attended my last institute - Facilities Management Institute.  Once again from the professional perspective, the timing could not have been better.  In my position of purchasing, I work closely facility management issues.  When looking at new equipment for our facilities, it is important to have the knowledge of different aspects that are helpful for our operations and potential cost savings. Looking at all elements such as the potential life of the equipment, as well as cost of preventative maintenance.  There are a number of practical “take-home” ideas and procedures I have been able to implement already.

Over the past eleven years, I never felt like I was going through these programs, just to get them all done.  Instead, I went through a progression, strategically choosing which program to go to, that reflected projects and objectives that were well-timed for my professional development.

I appreciate the investment that UNI and NACUFS has made in me attending these programs, as well as the countless hours of planning from NACUFS volunteers and staff that went into each program.  I also feel fortunate there are industry members that sponsor such great educational programming.  The members who sponsored the year I attended include Rich’s, Schwan’s, Tyson, Pepsi, True ConAgra, CocaCola, and Hobart.

If you have been hesitant to apply for an institute, I am hoping my personal story of how the institutes have impacted me would encourage you to take that next step to apply.  They are competitive, so if you have been applying and could not get in, keep trying.  In the meantime, get involved in other NACUFS activities.  There is a lot to learn from them and many of the other same benefits from the institutes can be found in all NACUFS activities.  That is the core of what NACUFS is about.

Facilities Management Institute - Carter Lawson

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I had the opportunity to attend the NACUFS Facilities Management Institute this June and would highly recommend others to attend.  This was my first NACUFS Institute and I look forward to attending other Institutes in the future. 

The Institute was held in Troy, OH, at the Hobart Education Center.  There was great leadership throughout the Institute.  Dean Wright of Brigham Young University and Bob Leandro of Harvard University both were very open about sharing their experiences.  They were also excellent at getting people involved and leading discussions on how representatives from the group handled similar situations at their campuses.   I particularly enjoyed the online training systems that Brigham Young University has implemented and look forward to working on a similar system on my campus.  The energy savings which Harvard has implemented was interesting and showed excellent examples of how the changes have aided in cutting costs to the department.

One of my favorite parts of the Facilities Management Institute was the presentation by Kathleen Seelye.  The information she presented will be tremendously helpful in future facility developments or renovations.  Learning the importance of the use of space and industry standards was both informative and fascinating.  Kathleen also went into detail on the best practices for kitchen projects and how all aspects of a design come together.

The Hobart Education Center was an excellent facility.  I really enjoyed the Factory and Tech Center tours, particularly the testing facilities at the Tech Center.  It was obvious the amount of passion that the employees of Hobart have for their company and their respective departments.  They were knowledgeable and ready to answer any questions.  We were also able to travel to the campus of Miami University and tour their Culinary Support Center. 

I believe my participation in the Facilities Management Institute was one of the most valuable professional development opportunities I have had in my career.  I was not aware how much facilities management encompassed but after attending now have a better understanding.  My main experience of the Institute was meeting all the other participants from colleges and universities and sharing our thoughts and experiences.  I could not wait to get back to my own campus and share the information that I had learned with my colleagues.

Leadership Institute was Amazing - Kayleen Vander Veen

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In the introductions the first night of Leadership Institute we had to say what our expectations where.  One gal said, “I heard you cry a lot and make lifelong friends…”   The gal who said that was Michelle, and after that week I can honestly say that Michelle has become my lifelong friend.

The week was mentally intense, but I learned so much.  I appreciate the tools that Tom gave us to take home and make the changes that are necessary to be a Leader. 

I learned how to communicate with others who have different behavioral styles than me, but first had to understand myself and my own behavior style. 

In understanding myself I found out that I am a persuader.  I learned how I am viewed by others, and why in the past I had a hard time understanding others.  I now have the awareness, and have learned how to better communicate with others.

I had a lot of “aaahhaaa” moments.  In our group discussions when divided by behavioral styles, I found it very interesting how other behavioral styles viewed persuaders.  I knew I had some work to do.  For example I need to make sure when talking my content is the same as my intent.  I need to make myself more clear, and maybe not talk so much, and ask more questions. 

I am very glad that there are other people out there like me, and now I have people I can turn to while I am still making changes in my leadership style that can keep me accountable.  Thank you for this great opportunity to go Leadership Institute.  I can honestly say it changes my life.

Facilities management Institute - Greg Millard

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I have been a NACUFS member for a very long time.  I have had that chance to attended many conferences, both Regional and National.  Recently I had an opportunity to begin the journey of NACUFS Institutes.  Who would have thought that trip would begin in Troy Ohio?  In talking with individuals that have attended this and many other institutes in the past, you hear two main thoughts.  It’s full of great information (from the trainers, tours, bookwork, and networking) and it’s a lot of rewarding work. They were right on both accounts.  Our instructors were very knowledgeable in all aspects of University operations.  Their real life experiences showed how you could incorporate new ideas, concepts, and designs into existing operations.  Tours of the Hobart training facility and factory as well as Miami University’s Culinary Support Center broke up the class room book hours. 

Our final project of designing a kitchen and server in Mexico not only utilized the wealth of information we received from Kathleen Seelye (Ricca Newmark), our team’s nationwide flair (EMU, WVU, Missouri, Dayton, Cal Poly, & Iowa) but also allowed us to feel good about the work we accomplished and one day might be the design for a missionary training center.  In the beginning it is hard to believe all the information that you did not know but after learning it, is hard to believe that you could live without it.  I am looking forward to future Institutes and hopefully join that small club of people that have completed them all.