Purdue's HTM Program Mourns Loss of Ray Kavanaugh

For the past 11 years I had the privilege of working two doors down from Ray Kavanaugh, who was our department head in the Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University. I learned a great deal about what it takes to be a strong leader while working for Ray over the years because he was able to motivate and inspire people to reach goals they might not have once thought possible to make themselves and our department better off as a result.

Although we were a ranked program before he joined us, there is no doubt that Ray put us in the national spotlight because he brought with him all the contacts he had made in the industry, while working as director of human resources for Red Lobster, and the leadership positions he held at the American Hotel and Lodging Education Foundation, Educational Insititute of American Hotel and Lodging Association, and National Restaurant Association Education Foundation (as its chair at one point); not to mention all the academic contacts he had made through his leadership and service to the International Council of Hospitality Restaurant and Institutional Educators, where he at one point served as its President. That is also why it should come as no surprise to anyone that Ray's drive for excellence and achievement led to a decorated career with a tremendous amount of industry and academic accomplishments that culminated recently in the Michael E. Hurst Lifetime Achievement Award and the Anthony G. Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ray had a passion for education as evidenced by his insistence upon teaching a course with the incoming freshmen every year so he could get to know them, and vice-versa. He was always available to prospective students visiting with parents who wanted to learn about our program (which was uncommon during visits to other campuses and greatly appreciated according to those who visited). He also did his part to advise, mentor, educate, and counsel undergraduate and graduate students alike.

Ray also had a passion for sports, especially Purdue sports. I would have dared anyone to have a greater command of the names of the players and coaches as well as team stats when the season was underway. You could always find him at a home football or basketball game dressed in Purdue gear from head to toe. When he was out of town on business and could not attend a game he would always give the tickets away to faculty, staff, alums, or industry partners who might have liked to attend that particular game. He also found a way to get tickets for games that were in high demand and short supply for alums and industry contacts that were in town and wanted to see the game.

Ray's legacy also lives on in his two sons, Ryan and Quinn, who both developed a passion for the foodservice industry and now managing restaurants for fine dining chains today. His son Ryan graduated from the HTM department while Quinn graduated from Oklahoma State, where Ray was department head before joining Purdue. Ray is also survived by his wife, Judy Rechberger, who teaches in the English Department at Purdue.

Memorial services for Ray are this Wednesday at St. Thomas Aquinas Center, 403 Wood Street, West Lafayette, IN, at 4 pm (October 15). Memorials to Purdue Foundation in memory of Ray Kavanaugh for the Marriott Hall Building Fund can be made in the form of a check made payable to Purdue Foundation. You can also send condolences by visiting http://www.soller-baker.com/

Feel the Land

As more and more culinary schools pump out future cooks, chefs and arbiters of the trade, it is amazing how many culinarians have never worked on a farm, or for that matter have never been to a farm. Some like Michael Carmel, however, were lucky enough to live on a farm in Eastern Pennsylvania as a young boy where he milked cows by hand, pulled eggs from under the chickens, fed the pigs, and picked genuine farm-raised vegetables from the field and garden, which provide him with great childhood memories. Today, as a chef and culinary instructor, Michael believes that all culinary students and chefs should have the opportunity to spend time on a farm. In this way one can gain a better understanding and respect for what we prepare and cook as a part of our profession as well as our daily lives.

That is why Michael has put his money where his mouth is to change that. With the help of a passionate foodie, writer, and colleague, Marion Sullivan, he has developed a new class at the Culinary Institute of Charleston called, "Farm to Plate."

The class is unique in that he and the students get to work with some unbelievable products, cook with some of the best, most passionate chefs in the country, and experience a part of the living history of South Carolina. It is a pleasure to work side by side with chefs that share the same beliefs about food and the land because they approach every ingredient with reverence and respect, which translates into food that is served with integrity and the highest standards. There is also no better way for a student to appreciate and emulate a chef than to work with that chef on the land and cook food that is impeccable.

It translates to an education that money can’t buy, no lecture can explain, and no school can improve upon. It is perfect! To see food grown or raised with the ultimate goal that it be consumed at its peak of flavor gives a young culinary student respect for the very art of cooking. To work in that field or with that animal changes the way we approach every item we cook. I wish every culinary student could experience it.

If you have a similar story or class you want to share with our learning community, or questions on the class, please contact Michael Carmel Mcarmel@fooded.org

So, Let them Cheat!

Building on yesterday's post...I had a professor in a human resource management class when an undergraduate student at University of North Texas, which was North Texas State when I was attending. She was one tough cookie that delivered excellent, information packed, presentations and she also prepared killer exams to test us over the materials she presented in the class and also the required readings. The one thing that she did permit us to do was bring in an 8.5x11 "cheat sheet" that could have notes on the front and back to help us take the exam. We could cram all we wanted on to that sheet of paper to help us take the exam and that was it.

I always thought that system was genius on her part because it motivated myself and others to spend a great deal of time going over the tons of notes that were taken (back in the day before powerpoint) in her class to create that "cheat sheet" -- which was a great way to get us to study and synthesize the information for the exam. On the other hand, her tests were so difficult that having a cheat sheet only lulled us into a false sense of security -- because you had to know the materials cold before sitting down to take the exam. There was no chance to read a question, search the notes for an answer, answer it, go to the next question, etc., and get done before the end of the examination session. The cheat sheet was merely a great tool to have on hand for that occasional question where one might not be able to recall a date, figure, etc., to help complete a question that had an answer already in progress.

So, give it a go. Ramp up the difficulty of your tests and let the students bring in their cheat sheet to help them get bits or pieces of information that may have been forgotten but needed to complete a question already in progress.

Student Cheating

There is a listserv that I belong to that has had a short but productive thread on some videos posted to YouTube concerning student cheating. There are mixed reviews on their quality but after I reviewed them I thought the time was well spent reflecting on how students may be cheating in my classes on assignments in general -- especially my online exams although not covered specifically.

This video demonstrates the top ten ways students cheat alone or with help from others during an exam:
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=EExPFAFeTX4&feature=related

This is another video that has similar cheating techniques and a couple new ones over the first:
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=vnFlx1JTV9I&feature=related

Also note that when watching either video there is a box to the right of the one playing that has other videos on cheating that you can watch if you have time. Ten minutes of your time reflecting on student teaching will be well worth it.

A Principled Stand on Undergraduate Education

I just learned about a 5 minute vidoe on YouTube that showcases IUPUI's Six Principles of Undergraduate Learning from a thread on the POD Network listserv. The video is worth watching because it lists the principles and explains how it gives students, teachers, administrators and staff a shared vision and common goals that benefit all concerned. It is worth watching as it may provide insights on how we could do a better job faciliating student learning and program effectivenss at our respective programs. The video can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edUzEbCNsTE