Building Partnerships for the Future

By John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, WGMC, AAC

Graduate students from the accredited program at Midwest Culinary Institute (MCI) in Cincinnati will now be able to attend the University of Cincinnati's research-and development baccalaureate-degree program, which is approved by the Research Chefs Association. The partnership between MCI and the University of Cincinnati allows students to go on to a four-year institution and continue their education at the baccalaureate level.

Midwest Culinary Institute also has created a pathway to a bachelor's degree through College Tech Prep, a four-year program of academic- and technical-skill preparation that begins in high school and continues in college.

For many years, degree transfer was, to say the least, a nightmare, with some colleges accepting the general-education classes from two-year community colleges and others not. In Cincinnati, even the two-year colleges that were attached to our local universities had difficulty transferring credits to those universities.

I have always admired the European model of transferability from one institution to another. I participated in a system of education in England that took me from apprentice to certified master chef without worrying about transfer credits and the ballooning cost of higher education. One of my goals while I am your president is to start the process that will enable all our students to transfer seamlessly from one college to another. This will strengthen our membership and allow us to pursue a national curriculum for the culinary profession.

Also, many of us would like to return to college to earn a degree that would enable us to go into upper-level management, education or research. As a certification program is based on both education and work experience, it is logical that, as we progress in our careers, we need continual lifetime educational experiences. I will propose to the board that we redirect more dollars from our scholarship funds to our active members to help them continue their education.

As we accredit our four-year programs, the ability to transfer from one institution to another will become easier for students. It would be ideal if a student who begins a vocational program is able to go through to earn a baccalaureate degree.

The American Culinary Federation cannot stand on its own anymore. We must have workable partnerships with the Research Chefs Association, the National Restaurant Association and the American Dietetic Association. To achieve this, a central scholarship fund for all those represented by these groups is a must. Imagine the many corporations that would invest in such a fund to ensure that they would have the employees they need to grow their companies.

A partnership that makes sense brings a lot more sponsors to the table and creates a bond of professionalism between organizations. Just imagine if all our sister groups and associations banded together as one voice with one purpose: the promotion of the foodservice industry in the United States. What strength we would have in the political and lobbying arenas. We all have a common goal, which is the betterment and profitability of our industry, and I am determined to create these partnerships for the benefit of all the people who work in the industry.

The day of being an island unto ourselves is over. We need a seamless path in our educational processes and strong partnerships to promote our industry. And, most of all, we must think about all those young people who are coming into our industry looking for leadership that will help make them successful in their careers.