University of Nebraska Kearney

Food Service Committee Charge

The administration of the University of Nebraska has elected to appoint members of the campus to serve on a campus-wide Food Service Committee.  The Committee will serve in an advisory capacity to the Director of Business Services.  Resources will be made available and members of the Committee will be encouraged to gather information on programs at other campuses to gain an understanding of the possibilities and how we can enhance our program offerings or change our existing programs based on campus needs.  One other important role of the Committee is to assist the administration in disseminating information about the food service programs as a component of the mission of the institution. 

The Committee will be provided with background information on the history and development of our current board plan offerings, catering services and array of retail operations.  They will be expected to understand how our three tier program would be effected if we opted to eliminate one of the existing programs. The Committee will also serve as a repository of ideas and recommendations that are presented by Student Government, Faculty Senate, Staff Senate and Residential & Greek Life staff for consideration in modifying or enhancing the existing program.  Visits to other campuses will also be supported to ensure that members of the Committee observe other operations and glean insight into ways of improving our existing programs.

The Committee will assist our Campus Kitchens leaders in gaining support for this program by using various means to communicate to the campus the purpose of this program and how the campus can support their endeavors.  The Committee would also be expected to partner with the campus Sustainability Committee to ascertain the ways in which the Food Service Committee can support, initiate and promote sustainable efforts for our contractor as well as users of the food service programs.

The Committee would be involved with reviewing future proposals if the University elected to receive requests from other food service providers to manage our campus food service operations.

The Committee will be comprised of a chairperson, two faculty members, two staff members and three student members.  One student member may be a commuter student.  One of the staff members may be from our Residential Hall Association.  The chair will identify the resources necessary to support the efforts and activities of the Committee. The Assistant Director of Business Services will serve in a liaison capacity.  The Food Service Director will be a resource and can be invited to attend meetings at the request of the Committee Chair. Appointments will be staggered so continuity will be provided to the campus in fulfilling the work of this Committee.

 Sustainability Committee Charge

The administration of the University of Nebraska has elected to appoint members of the campus to serve on a campus-wide Sustainability Committee.  The Committee will serve a two-fold purpose in that they will lead the campus in educating members of the institution about sustainability as well as to recognize those activities that can be identified as supporting our sustainable efforts.  The Committee will serve in an advisory capacity to the Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance.

First, the Committee will define what it means to be “green” at UNK.  The definition should be in alignment with the University of Nebraska’s Central Administration goals, objectives and sustainable initiatives.  Sustainable programs and activities recognize that we should be environmental stewards of our surroundings so that we will enjoy a certain quality of life and will lay the foundation for future generations to also share in the same experiences.

We want the Committee to identify ways in which we can educate the UNK community about the activities and programs that we can adopt that would demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.  We want to identify UNK educational programs, courses and related courses that support our sustainable initiatives. 

An energy management plan is the cornerstone to any sustainable program.  The Committee then should identify other programs and activities that support our sustainable initiatives such as opportunities in our food service operations, building programs, purchasing, recycling, transportation and wellness activities.  The Committee is also encouraged to look at other possibilities as our community increases their knowledge base on sustainability.

Once the Committee has defined what it means to be green at UNK, it should then lead an initiative to gather information about the activities and programs currently underway that would be considered sustainable activities.  A website will be developed to share this information not only with the UNK community but with anyone visiting our website.

If the Committee identifies specific roles for faculty, students and staff in supporting our sustainable activities, this information will also be available on the website.  There is a plethora of information available from a myriad of resources on sustainability.  Listed below are a few of those resources:

• Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
• Energy Information Administration (EIA)
• Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE)
• Second Nature (Education for Sustainability)

The Committee will have co-chairs, one person from the academic community and one from the administration.  The co-chairs will identify the resources necessary to support the efforts and activities of the Committee.  The Committee will then be comprised of the co-chairs, two faculty members, two staff members and two student members. Appointments will be staggered so continuity will be provided to the campus in fulfilling the work of this Committee and the overall sustainable work of the campus. 

*Term will end when the approved retirement date is reached.