Partnership Among Three Colleges at the Forefront of Experiential
Learning Trend
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
j_levine@culinary.edu
Hyde Park, NY – Culinary students are leaving their comfort zones and routines to
experience other learning environments in a new partnership between The
Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and other prestigious colleges in their respective
fields: The United States Military Academy (USMA) and Pratt Institute.
Through this partnership, West Point cadets and Pratt design
students came to the CIA's Hyde Park campus on separate visits this fall.
Students from those two colleges teamed with CIA students in kitchen classrooms
to design, cook, and plate their menu ideas. Ten CIA seniors also visited West
Point, sitting in on their classes and participating in training exercises.
Another group of CIA students will soon be visiting Pratt's campus in Brooklyn,
NY.
"My eyes were opened to a whole new world that I have
desperately wanted to know more about," CIA senior Leah Pfeiffer said after a
day of immersion into the campus culture at West Point. "As the granddaughter
of an Army soldier, I didn't realize how hungry I was for insight into his
life."
"While the subjects of study in military, design, or
culinary education are all different, the process and structure of
learning at
all three institutions share numerous parallels," said Dr. Michael
Sperling, CIA vice president of academic degree programs. "The
visits to each other's campuses allow students to get out of their
normal
comfort zone and take on the creative challenge of mastering new
skills and
approaches. In this process, they all reflected on the incredible
learning that
took place in completely different settings than they are accustomed
to."
Dr. Sperling notes that experiential
learning is a growing trend in higher education, and many other colleges are
trying to catch up to the CIA in that area. The majority of the CIA's curriculum
has always integrated kitchen, lab, and industry learning with concepts and
theory.
Photo Captions and Hi-Res Image
Photo 1: Students
from The Culinary Institute of America and Pratt Institute not only cooked
together, but also designed how the dishes would be presented during an experiential
learning exchange at the CIA's Hyde Park, NY campus. (Photo credit: CIA/Phil Mansfield)
Photo 2: Students
from The Culinary Institute of America learned about life as a West Point cadet
during an experiential learning exchange at the United States Military Academy
in fall 2013. (Photo credit: CIA/Phil
Mansfield)
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent,
not-for-profit college offering associate and bachelor's degrees with majors in
culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, and culinary science, as well as
certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the
world's premier culinary college, the CIA provides thought leadership in the
areas of health & wellness, sustainability, and world cuisines &
cultures through research and conferences. The CIA has a network of 45,000
alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz,
Anthony Bourdain, Roy Choi, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The CIA also offers courses for
professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services in support of
innovation for the foodservice and hospitality industry. The college has
campuses in Hyde Park, NY; St. Helena, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Singapore.
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