Inside Iowa State
December 8, 2000
Food merger is complex
by Anne Krapfl
A food service advisory committee
has been working since late October on an implementation plan
to merge the food service operations of the Memorial Union
and the department of residence. The group's proposal is due
to vice president for student affairs Tom Hill by Jan. 31,
2001.
Hill said the goal remains to implement merger changes by June 30, 2001, with a single food service unit operational on July 1. But he also noted that the merger is a complex one and that the process has not been without delays.
"To their credit, they're attempting to look at all potential stumbling blocks to the merger. We must identify as many potential problems as possible beforehand," Hill said. "We don't want to make an inappropriate move and risk having to undo this process at some point in the future."
Hill and vice president for business and finance Warren Madden announced in June that Stewart Burger, director of dining services for the residence department, would lead the new unit during and following the merger. The merger will include the residence department's dining center, catering and convenience store operations; the Memorial Union's catering service and food court (contracts with franchises will be honored); catering at Scheman (which the Memorial Union currently does); and campus vending and cafes. It excludes concessions at Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum.
The advisory committee's primary assignment is to recommend a transition plan for a single food service unit that promotes greater efficiency and provides portability for students and others using the services. But arriving at that, Hill said, requires a thorough analysis of each unit's financial situation and rules regarding the department of residence's bond obligations. For example, he said, the terms on the bonds that financed the renovation of Maple Hall and the construction of Hawthorn Court dictate the revenue sources (including dining revenues) that will pay off those bonds. Such financial considerations will help shape the organizational structure of the new food service unit.
"One of the key considerations is that we're reasonably certain we can financially sustain our proposal over time," Hill said.
The committee is reviewing food service studies completed in 1998 and 2000 and doing some of its own fact-finding as well, said Hill, who noted that Iowa State has been studying the possibility of a merger for nearly seven years.
"The complexity of all this is evidenced by that fact," he said.
The advisory committee is chaired by Dr. Teresa Branch, assistant vice president for student affairs, and is working with consultant John Cornyn, Cornyn-Fasano Group.
Iowa State homepage
Inside Iowa State, inside@iastate.edu,
University Relations Revised
12/6/00
Copyright © 1999-2000, Iowa State University, all rights
reserved
URL:
http://www.inside.iastate.edu/2000/1208/merger.html