I am requesting your financial support for my upcoming my sabbatical leave project from the Department of Hospitality and Culinary Arts at Manchester Community College.  The project will also prepare me to make an important contribution to future facilities design and program planning for the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Program.  I believe that I am uniquely equipped to carry out the research that I have planned.  Not only have I spent thirty three years teaching in this field, I have spent the past fifteen years as chairperson of our department, guiding it thorough ACF accreditation to gain exemplary status.  There is much that I still wish to accomplish.  With your support I can make my sabbatical and the research that I conduct productive toward that purpose.

The objective is not to further my own career, rather it is to learn more about the field of Culinary Arts so that I can benefit the Hospitality Department and MCC through my research and the knowledge that I will acquire.  What is important to me, at this point in my career is that I acquire useful information that will remain with the Hospitality program, leaving it better than I found it.  The changes that I hope to influence are long overdue and have been needed since I became department chair over fifteen years ago.

 The objective of my sabbatical leave is to collect ideas and “best practices” so that I can provide guidance to the Hospitality department and future facilities planning efforts.  During the sabbatical I will travel around the country to see facilities and speak with program coordinators or department chairs.  The list of colleges to visit was complied using personal contacts but mainly input from chef evaluators at the American Culinary Federation, our accrediting body.  Currently the list includes colleges in 18 states, ranging from Rhode Island to California and Oregon to Georgia.  It is my hope that the itinerary will encompass visits to see model facilities, exemplary program practices, administration of sustainable practices, and sound financial models for educational food service experiences. As a result of these visits I intend to acquire the knowledge and tools to plan the future of an already successful a successful Culinary Arts program, which will involve, facilities curriculum and practical student experiences. 

The research work, within those three areas, will be achieved by visiting other exemplary programs and facilities at colleges teaching Hospitality, and Culinary Arts, and Baking throughout the country. These schools are recognized for having the best curriculums in the nation for teaching culinary arts. I plan to review curriculum with Hospitality administrators, evaluate strengths and weaknesses, while comparing each with the curriculum at MCC.

I have also compiled a list of model facilities in the nation for teaching culinary and baking.  The relationship between facility design of a culinary lab and achievement of curriculum objectives is an important one.  It has been my experience that facility design is a factor that is often overlooked, unfamiliar to or misunderstood by architects charged with designing educational food laboratories and related facilities in our state. Since the design and construction of a new building at MCC, housing Hospitality, is imminent, my research will be timely and important.  In order to design the best facility for teaching and learning, I must be educated and able to provide, examples of great facilities to contribute to the design effort.  As part of the culminating project I will create a portfolio of outstanding architectural design in culinary arts education

In summary, my hope is that through my travels, research and evaluation MCC will build a state of the art Culinary and Baking facility that takes curriculum instruction and objectives into account within the design.  I will return with ideas, innovations, and suggestions for the department that will help us make improvements in the curriculum.  Incorporating new ideas, the Hospitality programs will continue to improve and be granted exemplary ACF status and perhaps become one the best programs in that nation in facility, curriculum, and dining experiences.  In addition, I hope my efforts will lead to the consideration of a joint venture between the department and the college, to establish an open (not reservation only) restaurant, bakery outlet, and food outlet at MCC, which will provide our students with essential, practical experience.

In conclusion, I hope that you will support my research and travels because you share my commitment to maintaining the highest standards in the delivery of training in culinary arts and the hospitality field.  The value of my research will not only be my legacy to my profession, but one we will share.  That legacy will multiply in value since, each year going forward, 275 Connecticut students who are enrolled in the Hospitality program at MCC will benefit from the improvements this project will influence.  Those students will go on to become part of a trained workforce, benefiting local businesses and our economy. 

Thank you for your consideration