By Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC

The end of the typical academic year looms close. To some this signifies an opportunity to catch a breath, relax a bit, take on those ever-deferred tasks at home, and start to recharge for the fall term. For education leaders, this is a time to analyze, question, problem solve, and strategize for the future.

In previous articles I addressed many of the challenges that face each of us in culinary education. It is certainly important to understand what is before us, but identifying problems is a hollow step without a plan to address them and stay ahead of the curve. This is the time for directors and deans to step up and move their strategic planning process into fifth gear. The time to act is always now. Those who delay may find themselves in a downward spiral without a lifeline.

Take a few days to organize those files, clear off your desk, submit maintenance requests for aging equipment, complete your final budgetary figures from the previous year and then sit down with a sharpened pencil and start to map out your approach to the following:

• What are the best culinary schools doing with curriculum?
  Define your benchmarks. Regardless of the size of your program, the goal should always be to emulate what the best do and play in their league.

• Do you understand the competition?
  Culinary education is highly competitive and although you may not want to focus on the business side of education – you cannot avoid the need to remain competitive. This process begins by staying in touch with and measuring yourself against those in your competitive set.

• Are your current courses rigorous enough and in line with current trends, methods and thinking?
  This is the time to take a deep dive into course syllabi, have discussions (even if they are through phone calls and emails) with your faculty, look at student course assessment documents and grade dispersion to determine whether or not each course is demanding, challenging and focused on retained learning. If courses do not fit these criteria then in may be time to charge them up and add some intensity.

• What is unique about your program?
  In the end, the dean or director must ask the question, “Why would a student choose to enroll in our program rather than a competitor’s?”
  
  What is unique? Is it the course content, the physical plant, on-campus restaurants, international experiences, exceptional faculty, great internships or job placement? If you intend to meet your objectives, then creating a differentiated product or service is an essential step.

• Are you aligned with industry partners?
  It takes an industry to effectively prepare young culinarians for the demands of the food business. You are not in this alone! Are you working with hotels, restaurants, vendors, equipment manufacturers, and professional organizations to supplement what you are able to accomplish through your curriculum? Ask for their help, get them involved, and find out ways they might offer partner services, products or other support.

• Where are your graduates working and what do employers think about the skills they bring to the table?
  This is the time to survey and track your success. Seek everyone’s input and use the results in the process of program improvement.

• How involved are you and your faculty with important industry organizations?
  Make a list of organizations that are important to you, the school, faculty and students. Make it a point to go beyond membership and assign faculty to play an active role in these organizations.

• How is your brand perceived in the marketplace?
  Do you know how others perceive what you do? Do you know how prepared your students are to be successful? What is the buzz around your brand? Beyond a survey or two, it is wise to schedule a focus group with an outside facilitator. The perception in the marketplace may very well be different than how the program is viewed internally. Look at the gaps between different audiences and prioritize your efforts based on the size of perception gaps.

• How knowledgeable is your admissions office about your program, your faculty, and what it takes for a culinary student to be successful?
  Have you spent enough time demonstrating how your program works to the individuals who are selling it to perspective students and parents? Do they know what it is like to be in a lab or a production kitchen? Are they familiar with the types of properties where your graduates work? Have they worn an apron and hat for a few days – taking on the role of culinary student so that they can speak with confidence about your program?

• In their classes do your faculty members actively integrate learning strategies across the curriculum?
  Are your faculty prepared to integrate math and writing skills in their lab courses? Both of these challenging disciplines take on a different level of importance when they are viewed through the kitchen lens.

• How do you define value in your program and how well does the program live up to the value guarantee?
  Start the discussion by letting your faculty know how much each student pays to be in a particular class. Have your faculty ask themselves a simple question each day: “Am I providing sufficient value today in this class?” Then encourage faculty to give even more while expecting students to do the same. This is how an effective value statement comes to life.
  
  You can also view my Think Tank column from last month, “It’s All About Value.”

• How will you invigorate your faculty and staff so their enthusiasm is evident from day one of the next term?
  Unless your program operates year-round, you will have a few months to build excitement, create new opportunities, set the stage for a fresh start each year, and communicate with your faculty about the program ‘s direction and the important role they play. If you prepare and serve your faculty properly – they will do the same with each and every student who walks through your kitchen door.

• What are you planning to do in an effort to unify your team and help them reach their collective goals next year?
  The dean or director is one person and cannot carry the program alone. It takes a team with common goals and the ability to play well in the sandbox with everyone else. There is no greater role for a dean or director than that of team leader. How will you approach this responsibility in the next academic year? The answer to this will define your program’s success.

Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC, president of Harvest America Ventures, a mobile restaurant incubator based in Saranac Lake, N.Y., is the former vice president of New England Culinary Institute and a former dean at Paul Smith’s College. Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..