PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11
CAS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Mark Scott Mark Scott’s college mentor taught him the importance of a clean white shirt and a conservative tie. Scott later adopted a more colorful style to match his personality, but he’s hung on to the lesson. “He taught me the value of those first impressions,” says Scott. Walk into the College Union for coffee at Starbucks or lemongrass curry stir-fry and you immediately see the new face of Geneseo dining. Modern. Customized entrees. It’s all part of Scott’s vision. Scott, who earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and an MBA, came to Geneseo in 2007 with 20 years of experience leading teams in dining, plant operations and restaurant and facilities management. He led guest and restaurant services at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center, and also teams of 300 to 700 employees at industry giant Aramark Management Services. Always interested in college settings, he also provided career, financial and other counseling to minority and financially disadvantaged students as assistant director of the Canisius Opportunity Programs for Education at Canisius College. Scott says he draws on all of his expertise to improve CAS services continually for more than 5,500 students as well as faculty and staff. His single philosophy: Support Geneseo’s mission to be the premier public liberal arts college. He’s constantly examining what’s new, what’s sound business and what people want. “I kept saying to myself that I love the service industry and being a business person, if I could do it in a place that I really appreciate and I was most fulfilled, I’d be in heaven,” says Scott. “People spend a lifetime looking for that opportunity. For me, this is that place.” 12
geneseo scene
that. Working at CAS is like “working within a community,” says Shaffer. That community is one Middleton knows isn’t likely to happen again. She knows these four years will be among the ones she misses most. An English and education major, Middleton doesn’t plan on a career in hospitality, but has realized how important it is to feel good coming to work. “I don’t want to leave!” says Middleton. “CAS has integrated into every part of my life. Once I graduate, the most important thing to me will be being able to make a living and be happy doing it.” Decades later, alumni like Kevin Gavagan ’75, a member of the Geneseo Foundation Board of Directors, know about such memories. Some of Gavagan’s best at Geneseo were at the Rathskellar, a bar in the basement of Letchworth that CAS operated. It closed more than 30 years ago, but its closing is still mourned by many. “I served the first drink ever served there,” says Gavagan, who bartended and was a student manager when the beer of choice, Genny Cream Ale, was a quarter and you could buy “subs and suds” with your meal plan. “It was the hometown bar,” says Gavagan. “It was a happy, safe place to hang out.” After it closed when the drinking age was raised to 19 in 1982, Gavagan says “we shed a brief tear over the passing of an era.” CAS also offers $1,000 scholarships to 10 student employees annually, and in part-
nership with Follett, the company contracted to run the bookstore, provides $6,000 per year for undergraduate research. Follett also provides $5,000 in textbook grants for financially eligible students. CAS has also made a $500,000 commitment to Shaping Lives of Purpose: The Campaign for Geneseo. This year, CAS provided a $20,000 research grant to two Geneseo education professors who are exploring how iPads and digital texts and tools are integrated into courses. While many students who work at CAS ultimately choose careers outside hospitality, for others the entire CAS experience, in part, inspired them to join the field — some right at Geneseo. Shayne Cook ’02 majored in studio art but worked in kitchens his whole life — including grilling burgers and doing the dishes at Geneseo. When he decided to move in a different direction, he chose food service. He has been assistant manager at Red Jacket for three years. The philosophy at Geneseo, and the ability to make a home away from home, and have such impact, inspired Rebecca Stewart ’04 to build her career with CAS. “There were a lot of things I saw within the company while I was a student worker that interested me so much — and I could see so much change in those four years and so much excitement, I decided to make it my home,” says Stewart.
Geneseo chef develops sauce for all SUNY diners As more families seek meals with ingredients grown and produced close to home, Geneseo is doing its part to serve fresher foods and boost the regional economy. In Geneseo kitchens, Chef Jonna Anne, certified executive chef and director of culinary operations, is stirring pots of freshly pureéd tomatoes and fragrant basil leaves and adding chopped garlic by the pinch to create a recipe that will become a base for pizza sauce that will available for use PHOTO BY KEITH WALTERS ’11 on all 64 SUNY campuses. Jonna Anne The project is part of SUNY’s ongoing sustainability efforts. All ingredients will be grown, processed, manufactured and sold within New York state. “I feel very honored they chose me for this project,” says Anne.