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Chicago, Ill.) Nearly 200 top restaurant and foodservice students and 125 educators gathered during the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s (NRAEF) Michael E. Hurst Student Forum on Saturday, May 17, 2008 in Chicago, Ill., where they had the opportunity to interact with and learn from the NRAEF’s 2008 Salute to Excellence honorees. The 2008 Michael E. Hurst Lifetime of Achievement in Education Award recipient, the Thad and Alice Eure Ambassador of Hospitality Award winner and the 2008 NRAEF College of Diplomates inductees led the Student Honor Delegates in this day of learning and celebration. The event was held as part of the 2008 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago.
To view photos from the 2008 Michael E. Hurst Student Forum, please click here: http://www.nraef.org/headline/photos_meh_2008.asp
Michael E. Hurst Student Forum sponsors included The Coca-Cola Company, ECOLAB, Inc., The Employment Guide, Micros Inc., and Pearson Education.
“The Michael E. Hurst Student Forum is one of the most motivational and inspirational events of the NRA Show,” stated Linda Bacin, chairman, NRAEF Board of Trustees. “Gathering these incredible students with some of our industry’s most dedicated and decorated leaders is a wonderful way to demonstrate the commitment, resolve and sense of community that our industry so visibly embodies. The NRAEF is devoted to the development of our industry’s future, and this future lies in students like those gathered for the Student Forum.”
During the Student Forum, students engaged the industry’s top leaders during interactive presentations and small-group breakout discussions. An educational session discussing “What it Takes” for a successful career in the industry was hosted by the 2008 Michael E. Hurst Lifetime of Achievement in Education Award recipient, Raphael R. Kavanaugh, Ed.D., FMP, professor and department head, Purdue University. Sessions were hosted by the 2008 NRAEF College of Diplomates inductees: William Regas, chairman emeritus, Regas Restaurants -- “Empowering You to Meet Your Goals” and Christianne R. Ricchi, chef proprietor, Ristorante i Ricchi – “What is Your ACTIVE INGREDIENT?” The 2008 Thad and Alice Eure Ambassador of Hospitality, Joseph K. Fassler, FMP, retired president & CEO, Viad Food Service & Hospitality also discussed “How to Win” in the industry. Regynald Washington, FMP, CFBE, vice president, segment food and beverage, product development & new concepts, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide served as the Student Forum Moderator.
The Student Honor Delegates were hand-picked by faculty in leading restaurant and foodservice management programs at colleges and universities across the country. As the restaurant and foodservice industry increases from 13.1 million employees to 15.1 million over the next ten years, these students will become the leaders of tomorrow. To prepare them for their leadership role, the Student Forum gave the students an opportunity to further their education and learn from those who have preceded them.
While the students participated in the educational sessions, faculty participated in a special Faculty Educational Forum where they heard from industry experts on trends and hot topics facing the industry, including a presentation on the NRA’s new Conserve Initiative (www.conserve.restaurant.org), as well as a presentation on instructional styles of world-class instructors. Following the educational breakout sessions, students and faculty attended the Ambassador and Diplomate Luncheon, which included an inspirational keynote address from 2008 College of Diplomate inductee, Herman Cain, chief executive officer, THE New Voice, Inc. The luncheon also included scholarships presentations to several of the Student Honor Delegates in attendance. The Coca-Cola Company awarded the “Salute to Excellence Scholarship” to two students for their dedication to the restaurant and foodservice industry, as evidenced by their exemplary performance in their education. The two $5,000 scholarships were presented to Mitchell Mzik of Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio and Jeffrey Packard of Michigan State University. The NRAEF and the Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNa) awarded $2,500 scholarships to eight outstanding undergraduate students pursuing a foodservice education. Finally, the NRAEF and the National Society for Healthcare Foodservice Management (HFM) launched a $10,000 scholarship program in 2008, which included the presentation of $2,000 scholarships to two Student Honor Delegates during the Luncheon.
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