::Provost David Kline Steps Up
::Ellis F. White and First Faculty Scholarship Endowment
::UNAM agreement expands international presence
::Chartwell's awarded new food service contract

August 2002

New look arrives for UNF food service

(From left) Gary Anderson, Sbarros manager, Scott Thomas, director of board operations, Enrique Armenteros, executive chef, Trent Hutchinson, retail director, David Jordan, resident district manager, Greg Himes, director of marketing and Nancy Ryan, director of catering.

In an effort to build more of a sense of community for students, faculty and staff, major changes will soon be apparent in the way food service is handled at UNF.

More than $3.75 million in renovations are occurring at a number of campus food venues as the result of the University awarding Chartwells the new food service contract.

David Wesse, assistant vice president in Administration & Finance, explained that the type of facilities, menu selection and hours of operation are all designed to give students a place they will enjoy visiting to "hang out" as well as to eat.

"We didn't want to do this in a piecemeal approach but in a way that students would see a significant difference when they returned for classes in the fall," he said.

Probably the most visible changes will occur at the Boathouse which is being renovated into a Wackadoos restaurant. When it reopens later this month, it will offer table service dining and be open until midnight every day of the week. To give students activities in which to participate, Wackadoos also will feature video games, air hockey, a pool table and a large projection screen to watch UNF athletic games. Eventually, they also plan to add a canopy over the outside deck. Part of the facility will continue to be available to University groups. "We want this to be a place where people can congregate and have fun," noted Wesse, who is overseeing the transition.

Changes are not limited to the Boathouse. What was once the marketplace area off Alumni Square is being taken over by the Bookstore. However, at the other end of the Bookstore, a Sbarros Italian food operation is being installed. It will offer pizza and pasta dishes and will also deliver to housing units on campus staying open until 11 p.m. This space is being used because it was the site of the original UNF cafeteria and has much of the needed infrastructure, Wesse explained.

On the other side of Alumni Square, the Courtyard Café will be renovated to become a Freshens Smoothie Bar. It will be renamed the Alumni Café and renovations are expected to be completed over the Christmas break. The existing outside grill will continue but become a more permanent facility in Alumni Square.
Meanwhile, the lobby area on the first-floor of Schultz Hall (Bldg 9) will become a convenience store operation offering "out takes" of coffee, pastry, sandwiches, sandwiches and similar items.

Renovations to the Osprey Cafeteria are planned for next summer in anticipation of a mandatory meal plan for resident freshmen students going into effect in the fall of 2004. Wesse said it became apparent that the required funds to upgrade, furnish and maintain a first class student dining facility on campus would not be available without such a meal plan. He noted that nearly two-thirds of all universities have implemented some sort of mandatory meal plan.

The University Food Service Advisory Council, including students, faculty and staff, unanimously recommended the selection of Chartwells as UNF's new food service vendor. The group considered proposals from Sodexho, the previous food vendor, and Aramark. Since the three vendors proposed similar basic financial packages, the committee focused primarily on food service related issues.

The committee visited a number of university campuses and were impressed with the Chartwells operations, Wesse said. The company manages the dining programs at more than 1,000 educational institutions around the world including Florida Atlantic University, University of Central Florida, FCCJ, and the University of Miami. The company's regional office is located in Jacksonville and the district manager will be located on campus.

"The committee felt that with the regional office located in Jacksonville and the district manager headquarters on our campus, UNF would receive first class support and oversight," Wesse noted.

It's expected that Chartwells will employ the equivalent of 80 full-time workers on campus including the operations at the University Center, which is also included under the contract. Many of these workers will be students. This total does not include the 50 part-time students employed at Wackadoos.
In a related item, the University committee also unanimously recommended that Mayes/Hero continue to handle UNF's concessions. "They have proven their dedication and earned the respect and admiration of the UNF community," the committee noted in its final recommendation.