PRESS RELEASE

FCSI Educational Foundation to Create Certificate Program
Focused on Foodservice Consulting

Louisville, KY – The Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) Educational Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the FCSI, is partnering with Western Kentucky University (WKU) to create an academic certificate program focusing on the field of foodservice consulting.

The announcement was made during the FCSI symposium in conjunction with NAFEM, The North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers. During the symposium, Foundation President Garrett Lennon, FCSI, said “the creation of a program for foodservice consultants, created by foodservice consultants, was the dream of the founding fathers of the Foundation. Now, more than 30 years later, the dream is becoming a reality.”

The goal is to create a program that provides training relevant to an entry level position at a foodservice design firm, said Lennon. He and the rest of the board spent almost two years defining the scope of the project, working with an educational consultant to narrow the focus of the studies, identify resources available and potential educational partners.

After a substantive search, the board unanimously selected Western Kentucky University as its educational partner.  “Having FCSI Ed Foundation as a WKU partner will be vital in developing a quality foodservice consultant program,” said Travis Wilson, Department Chair of Applied Human Sciences at WKU.

A task force was created within the Educational Foundation to work with WKU to develop the curriculum. Some of the items to be included in the program include:

• Various types of foodservice facilities and how they operate
• The flow of product through typical design considerations and understanding layouts of various facilities
• How to use design software to convey the design intent of foodservice areas for presentations and construction documentation

 The hope is to have a program fully created and funded for the start of the Spring semester 2024.

Questions? Contact Greg Jewell, Foundation administrator, at gregj@fcsief.org.

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The FCSI Educational Foundation (FCSI EF) is a non-profit organization that is committed to working with members to secure the future of the foodservice consulting industry through nurturing the next generation of professional foodservice consultants.