Groundbreaking Ceremony Marks Official Beginning of New Hospitality Education Center
Kaye Myers, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Tj Robinson, a graduate and the ceremony's guest speaker, prepare to turn some dirt at the Hospitality Education Center groundbreaking.
Two months after dedicating its first major bond project, a Computer Technology Center, A-B Tech broke ground for its second major project, a $7 million Hospitality Education Center.
The two-story, 39,000-square-foot building will house the three programs in the college's nationally-acclaimed Hospitality Education Department - Culinary Technology, Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM), and Baking and Pastry Arts. Among its features will be four kitchens, a banquet hall, an eight-room lodge, a demonstration hall, a private dining room, and an ice carving area.
"Our program is outstanding. Soon we will have a building to match," said Trustees Chair Kaye Myers, pointing to the many state, regional, and national awards Hospitality Education students have claimed.
Guest speaker Tj Robinson, a graduate of both the Culinary and HRM programs, credited his education at A-B Tech with helping him land a job as the assistant to David Rosengarten, one of the world's foremost authorities on food and wine, nearly five years ago.
During his brief career, Robinson has styled food for Rosengarten's frequent Today Show appearances, managed a team of testers and developers for a cookbook that recently won a James Beard Award as one of the best in America, traveled the world to report on products ranging from the best Beaujolais to the perfect prosciutto in Rosengarten's newsletter, invented his own ice cream flavor with the research and development team at Ben & Jerry's, and flown on Doughnut One, the Krispy Kreme corporate jet.
"All of this has been possible because of the stepping stones afforded to me by my education at A-B Tech. Attending A-B Tech changed my life forever," Robinson said, adding that he expects the new Hospitality Education Center will increase opportunities for students.
President K. Ray Bailey said the vision for the state-of-the-art facility was developed by a design team of architects Mike Watson and Bryan Moffitt of Bowers, Ellis & Watson; Dr. Joe Franklin, dean of the Division of Business and Hospitality Education; Sheila Tillman, chair of the Hospitality Education Department; and the department's faculty and staff.
President Bailey also told the audience about plans to restore Fernihurst the 1870s home of Civil War Colonel John Kerr Connelly and his wife, Alice, and once the site of lavish parties as a fine dining establishment and teaching center. Funding for the project will come largely from private donations, and President Bailey urged the community's support.
"North Carolina's voters helped us realize our dream of a Hospitality Education Center by approving the 2000 Higher Education Bond Referendum. But to realize our dream for Fernihurst, we need your help," he said.
A-B Tech Holds Its First Spring Graduation
A group of students takes a moment to celebrate before participating in the college's first spring graduation ceremony.
Mars Hill College President Dan Lunsford urged members of A-B Tech's first spring graduating class to believe in their dreams and work toward them.
Lunsford told students gathered at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium for the May 14 ceremony that their time at A-B Tech prepared them well, regardless of whether they aspire to enter a new profession, take on more responsibilities in their current jobs, or continue their education. "The doors to these pathways are now open," he said.
Pat Lail from Student Services hands out graduation ceremony information.
Lunsford commended the students for reaching a milestone in their lives, adding that most people who start a post-secondary program fail to complete it. "Think of two people who made an impact on this part of your journey," he said. "Have you thanked them? Š Who said, 'You can complete this program? Who said, 'Let's see how we can build your schedule so you can still work?' Who said, 'How can I help you?'"
A-B Tech graduated nearly 350 students during the ceremony, described by Board of Trustees Chair Kaye Myers as a "history-making event" in the life of the college. "Nine months ago, some of us sat is this same auditorium as our college graduated a record class of more than 600 students," she said. "It was standing-room-only that evening, and we decided afterward that the time had come, that we had grown to the point that we needed to move to two commencement ceremonies each year.
"A-B Tech's mission statement says we're the community's college and we're dedicated to student success. Moving to two commencement ceremonies is one of the many ways we fulfill that mission statement."
The ceremony also included the presentation of the Faculty Member of the Year Award to English/Communications Instructor Heather Vaughn and Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year Award to Humanities/Fine Arts Instructor Chrystal Cook.
College Part of Partnership Receiving $600,000 Grant
The economic forecast for Western North Carolina brightened May 17 with the announcement of a $600,000 grant to A-B Tech, UNCA, and UNC-Charlotte to partner on an initiative designed to more accurately predict the region's volatile weather.
The grant will allow A-B Tech and the universities to expand their computer sciences curricula and develop applications related to environmental science that officials predict will lead to more accurate forecasts and more jobs with higher wages.
The collaboration will take advantage of the workforce development programs of A-B Tech; the resources available through UNCA's undergraduate research program and the National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center; and the graduate researchers at UNC-Charlotte.
"With the Digital Media program that begins this fall, we will be developing courses to train students to take the data (fed by Doppler weather radar stations to the National Climatic Data Center) Š and create models for scientific visualization," said Dr. Sharon Morrissey, A-B Tech's vice president of instructional services. "We're training people at the technician level Š so the people doing the research can have access to good information."
A-B Tech and UNCA also will create a seamless transfer process for students who complete their two-year degree in computer technologies here and want to earn a four-year degree through UNCA's computer science program.
Officials praised the level of cooperation between the three institutions, adding that they anticipate companies will move to the region and start-ups will be created as a result of the partnership.
"We're delighted our faculty is included in this project," A-B Tech President K. Ray Bailey said. "This gives students who come to our campus a new dimension in technology, especially with digital media."