CWU Dining Services recognized with pair of national awards

The Loyal E. Horton Awards, presented by the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS), are regarded as the pinnacle of achievement within the wide world of university dining programs, celebrating innovation and excellence in the field.

This year, at the July 15-18 NACUFS conference in New Orleans, Central Washington University walked away with two such awards: a Gold recognition for the Employee Development Program of the Year and a Silver for Innovative Dining Program of the Year.

CWU Dining Services Director Dean Masuccio was delighted to accept the awards as recognition of the hard work and dedication put in by the entire Dining Services team.

“Our team really cares about what they do, and our mission to serve our campus,” he said. “This is a good reminder for us that our work matters, and that we’re succeeding in what we’re trying to accomplish.”

The Creative Services and Auxiliary Marketing teams from the CWU Office of Marketing and Communications teamed up with Dining Services to create the award-winning entries, which were submitted in the spring.

The employee development program honored by NACUFS is Dining Services’ celebrated Student Leadership Program, which was introduced in 2020. The program offers student employees, of which Dining Services has over 300, the opportunity to advance in their careers and take on leadership duties.

This mentorship and sense of shared responsibility helps bridge the gap between student and professional staff, to the benefit of both.

“Student managers are a core piece of training new employees and leaders alike,” Masuccio said. “That was our first goal for the program, and it’s rewarding to see that it has been fully realized.”

As the program has matured, more student managers are sticking around post-graduation, seeing the position as an important stepping stone in their career development.

“It keeps getting more and more relevant to supporting that career readiness that we aspire to for our students,” Masuccio said. “A good amount of them continue their employment with us after graduation as a starting point for their careers, which is so rewarding to see.”

The Innovative Dining Program award comes in celebration of Dining Services’ overall achievements through years of relationship-building and an intentional approach to shifting student needs and wants. By meeting frequently with Residence Hall Association leadership, Dining Services maintains awareness of where the student body would like to see them go next.

“Something we do really well is connecting with student expectations and keeping enough flexibility in our program to serve them properly,” Masuccio said. “That nimbleness is one of our strengths as a medium-sized university dining program.”

These conversations have led to changes as minor as the introduction of new coffee varieties, or as major as the arrival of a made-to-order sushi counter opening this fall.

“Being responsive to little requests and considerations is so important, because it lays the foundation for bigger feats of collaboration,” Masuccio said. “Sometimes it’s a new flavor of cold foam at the coffee shops; others, it’s an overhaul of a dining concept.”

As much as Masuccio is elated to see the team’s hard work recognized on the national stage, he’s equally grateful for the opportunity to learn from his peers and contribute to their own operations in equal measure.

“As a NACUFS member, and as a leader of our dining program, I look to other universities to see what they’re doing, too,” he said. “This is an important opportunity to share the good work that’s happening at Central with members across the nation.”