“It makes a huge statement about the research and publication productivity of our faculty, especially considering the size of our department’s graduate faculty and who our competition is,” said Deb Canter, department head.

Graduate education and research lauded

Canter said the ranking puts the department closer to being recognized as an international pacesetter in food service and hospitality management graduate education and research.

According to Canter, the K-State ranking goes to show that a small number of focused researchers can make a big difference as many of the programs ranked ahead of K-State have more researchers and a different focus.

“I am extremely proud of the focus and productivity of our faculty,” she said. “We have 15 doctoral students, five master’s students, a new online master’s degree in dietetics and more than 500 undergraduate students. To teach, advise and mentor all these students with a small faculty and still get rated at this level for our research productivity to me is very heartwarming.”

The article, written by researchers at the University of Central Florida, includes an analysis of the scholarly contributions of researchers from each institution to 11 prominent hospitality and tourism journals from 2002 to 2006. The authors counted the number of articles, article instances and the number of contributing authors, also categorizing them by world region.

Tops in publishing

The journals surveyed were: The Annals of Tourism Research, The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, The Florida International University Hospitality Review, The International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, The International Journal of Hospitality Management, The Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, The Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education, The Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, The Journal of Travel Research, The Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing and The Journal of Tourism Management.

“For several years, our faculty and graduate students have garnered numerous ‘best paper’ awards at professional conferences focused on hospitality management research,” Canter said. “We have been building our reputation for a long time. To finally see us recognized in a peer-refereed journal in this way is most gratifying.”

Virginia Moxley, dean of the College of Human Ecology, said the ranking highlights the outstanding scholarship of faculty in the department of hospitality management and dietetics.

Researchers, teachers and leaders

“We expect great things of our faculty and this ranking illustrates how they exceed our expectations,” she said. “These researchers are also fine teachers and professional leaders. The scholarly contributions represented in this body of work have advanced knowledge in hospitality and food-service management worldwide.”

Canter said one area the study didn’t take into account was her department’s research commitment to the issue of food safety.

“A major research priority for our department is in the area of food safety. We focus on challenges of safe food handling in commercial and noncommercial food-service operations where the public consumes more than half of their meals,” Canter said. “The journals that were scanned for the purpose of this article are not typically places where food safety research is published. Thus, our faculty members are even more productive than this article reveals.”

Download the article in Adobe Reader format from SAGE Publications.

Prepared by Media Relations

Edgar Chambers IV will become editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sensory Studies beginning in 2010. Currently he is co-editor. He’ll do the job for at least a year, he said.

“My responsibilities as co-editor and as editor-in-chief are to ensure that the journal remains the leading journal in sensory science, to coordinate the review of scientific articles, to ultimately accept or reject articles for publication in the journal, and to enhance the experience of readers of the journal,” he said.

Chambers is the director of K-State’s  Sensory Analysis Center and University Distinguished Professor, Sensory Analysis and Consumer Behavior, in human nutrition.

Kevin Roberts and Kevin Sauer have been named co-editors of the Journal of Foodservice Management and Education. They are assistant professors in the Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics.

They plan to update the submission process and overall systems, Sauer said.

The journal is published jointly by Foodservice Systems Management Education Council and The National Association of College & University Food Services.

The council’s mission is to advocate for foodservice and dietetic management education, research, and practice and support members in teaching and research efforts.

Walter Schumm, professor in family studies and human services, has been named editor of the Journal of Marriage and Family Review. His term as editor will be 2010 to 2014.

“I will review and obtain peer reviews for dozens of articles a year and decide which ones are the best for this journal,” he explained. The 30-year-old journal is devoted to the study of the family unit and the complex issues affecting today’s families.

Content includes “cutting-edge research, theory, and practice relevant to a wide variety of disciplines such as marriage and family studies, sociology, psychology, education, child development, social work, urban and policy studies, anthropology, public health and communication studies.”

Prepared by Human Ecology communications

Organized by K-State’s chapter of Blue Key, the senior leadership honor society, Quest was founded in 2004. Membership is based on written applications and interviews. Leadership and service in high school are key selection factors.

Members of Quest get the opportunity to discuss important issues with university administrators and have other leadership experiences. They also get a behind-the-scenes look at some of K-State’s award-winning programs.

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The Closing the Gap award goes to Denis M. Medeiros for an assessment program of assessment of student learning. The Department of Human Nutrition faculty continually revises the assessment plan. They recognized that previously planned longitudinal tracking was less than effective.

The second is for long-range assessment planning and goes to Roni Schwartz. She developed five-year student learning assessment plans to meet the new 2008 Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education Eligibility Requirements and Accreditation Standards.

Stand-up presentations were:

“Exploring Restaurant Managers’ Beliefs about Food Safety Training” presented by Kevin R. Roberts, on research he conducted with Betsy Barrett. Both are in Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics (HMD).

“Beliefs and Perceptions of School Foodservice Personnel about HACCP Implementation” by Lynn Riggins, University of Central Missouri. Her presentation was based on research she did here with Barrett.

Poster presentations were:

“Food Safety Practices in Ethnic Restaurants in Kansas” from Carol Shanklin, Junelee Kwon and Roberts. All are on the faculty in HMD. Shanklin is head of K-State’s graduate school.

“Multi-institutional Delivery of Internet-based Graduate Education to Dietetics Professionals” from Deb Canter, HMD department head, and faculty from other universities.

“Older Adults Technology Preferences Related to Food Safety Education” from Roberts; Valentina M. Remig, human nutrition; Toni J. Bryant, human nutrition extension; Gerry Snyder, multi-media specialist.

“Discussion Groups with Mature Adults Help Identify Food Safety Issues and Barriers” from Remig, Roberts, Bryant and Snyder.

“Food Safety Training Needs for Evacuation Shelters Operated by Faith Based Organizations” from Kwon and co-authors from Texas Women’s University, D. Ryu, L. Zottarelli and S. Kwon.

Pesci is director of K-State’s hotel and restaurant management program.

Students are invited to don their professional business attire for the workshop, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in Derby Dining Center’s Gold Room. It is an opportunity for students to brush up on their table manners as a way to prepare for  job interviews that may be conducted over a meal or in a social setting.

Co-sponsors are K-State’s career and employment services and Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics.

The cost of the workshop is $9, or $5 for students with a K-State meal plan. Reservations and payment are due Friday, Oct. 30, and are available at career and employment services in 100 Holtz Hall or by calling 785-532-6506.

Farrell entered Golden Harvest Raisin Bread with Toasted Walnuts.

She is a hotel and restaurant management graduate.

“I was really proud of Coila. Her technique was wonderful and her bread looked absolutely fantastic,” said Mary Molt, assistant professor. “A special thanks to Fern Mayfield and Sarah Severns for all their work to help Coila shine.”

California Raisin Marketing Board sponsored the competition which drew 30 bakers from around the country.

Farrell was awarded an all-expense paid trip to California in March. She will visit the home office of the California Raisin Marketing Board, the Culinary Institute of America, and other attractions.

“Foodservice Study: Steps beyond training crucial to safe food handling,” published on Sept. 22, was written by Ashley Bentley.

Others on the research team were Carol Shanklin, Laura Brannon, Valerie Pilling and Betsy Barrett. Read the story on The Packer web site.

HRM interns climb highest mountains

Fifty-three hotel and restaurant management students did professional internships, a requirement for graduation. Courtney Cole, left atop Mt. Healy, Casey Walker and Clayton Connor worked with Aramark in Denali National Park, Alaska. The experience offered career contacts and the chance to explore Alaska, Connor said. And see grizzlies. Also at Denali were Danielle Rodriguez and Anthony Fagan. Amy Armstrong traveled the farthest for her HRM internship. She worked with Maldron Hotels in Dublin, Ireland.

Volunteers in Africa research thesis, project

Courtney Held, left back row, and Valerie Stull, right back row, pose with the youngsters at Good Shepherd Children’s Home in Maai Mahiu, Kenya. The two K-Staters spent the summer working with the non-governmental organization (NGO) called Comfort the Children: Stull, graduate student in public health nutrition, for thesis research; Held, senior in dietetics and public health nutrition, for an Honors Project in which she is helping develop flip charts for nutrition education. In addition to volunteer work with the children’s home, they provided nutrition education to women in the community and spent time at the public primary school in Ngeya. Stull’s thesis work evaluates a community garden project. Both received College of Human Ecology scholarships to help fund their trips, the first to Africa for Held and third to Africa for Stull.

Junior studies Aboriginal families (and Aussie animals) first hand

Kelsey Flickner spent seven weeks in Perth, Western Australia, in the Aboriginal Studies program at Murdock University. Her class, called “Wanju Boodjah,” focused on Aboriginal culture and way of life. “I got first hand accounts of spiritual ceremonies, visited places of significance, and interacted with Aboriginal elders. Also, I learned how gender played an important part in the Aboriginal society,” she said. A junior in family studies and human services, with a minor in leadership studies, Flicker recalled the significance of a half-day hike up Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges: “Bluff Knoll was called Bular Mial (many eyes) or Bala Mial (his eyes) by Nyoongar people, depending on the intent of the speaker. This was because the rocks on the bluff were shaped like the eyes of the ancestral master spirit that are visible on the mountain today. The peak is often covered with mists that curl around the mountain tops and float into the gullies. These constantly changing mists were believed to be the only visible form of the Noyt (meaning spirit).”

Senior, New Zealand “challenge” each other

For Kelcii Peck, senior in nutrition, exercise science and dietetics, New Zealand was an obstacle course this summer. With 17 other North American college students, Peck participated in a 2-week Challenge New Zealand leadership program of GlobaLinks Learning Abroad. The students were challenged physically (climb Mt. Ruapehu on your own); emotionally (keep cool even when you are lost and run out of water); and culturally (learn about the indigenous Maori). “It felt almost as if we’d become a family in that short two weeks,” Peck told program leaders after the trek. “Everybody was on each other’s team and wanted each other to be successful.”

Prepared by Human Ecology communications

The video, written and produced by the college, is available on YouTube and Facebook. Check out other videos on the College of Human Ecology YouTube channel.