Sodexo endows dean's post with $1 million pledge - 2009-11-30

SODEXO TO ENDOW DEAN’S POST AT PAUL SMITH’S COLLEGE
Company commits $1 million over 10 years to support position

CONTACT: Kenneth Aaron, Director of Communications, (518) 327-6297

PAUL SMITHS, N.Y. – Sodexo Inc. has pledged $1 million over 10 years to endow a dean’s chair at Paul Smith’s College.

A search is under way for the first Sodexo Dean of the School of Hospitality, Resort and Culinary Management at Paul Smith’s, a 910-student college located in the Adirondack Park of New York State. The position is the first endowed post at the college.

“Hospitality is a growth industry, and we’re training tomorrow’s leaders in the field,” said John W. Mills, president of Paul Smith’s College. “Our partnership with Sodexo will give us the ability to recruit from among today’s brightest as we deliver an education that keeps pace with industry demands.”

Richard Riani ’81, district manager of Sodexo Campus Services for Vermont and upstate New York, said the company typically commits to brick-and-mortar investments at colleges as part of its relationships – improving dining halls, for example, or adding dining venues on campus.

“This has the potential to be a very successful model,” Riani said. “The endowment is a unique, partnered approach in supporting the college and its goals.”

Riani credited Richard Zucconi ’63, former senior vice president of Sodexo Campus Services, and Len Riccio, current senior vice president, as also instrumental in the creation of the endowment.

In addition to tapping the new dean to make presentations at Sodexo corporate meetings and events, the company will put a representative on the search committee to name the successful candidate. Riani said he’d expect that the new dean will have an up-close understanding of the industry.

“Real-world experience is absolutely critical, in order to impart to young men and women what the realities of our industry is really like and how it is changing,” he said.

Sodexo currently provides both Dining and Facilities Management Services on the Paul Smith’s campus.

About 275 students are enrolled in Paul Smith’s hospitality and culinary programs, which have long been at the forefront of industry trends. Several alumni have gone on to become leaders in their fields, such as Dick Cattani ’64, chief executive of Compass Group’s Premier Catering Division; Wally Ganzi ’63, co-chairman and co-owner of The Palm Restaurants; and Jon Luther ’67, executive chairman of Dunkin’ Brands Inc.

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ABOUT SODEXO, INC.

Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com ), a member of Sodexo Group, is a leading provider of Comprehensive Service Solutions serving more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care, retirement, schools, higher education, government and remote sites. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md,, Sodexo, Inc., operates in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with $7.7 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. The Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org ) is an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $11 million in grants to fight hunger in America.

ABOUT PAUL SMITH’S COLLEGE

At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. Our programs, in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship and the sciences, draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere.