2014 College Power Players: Massachusetts

The Hampshire renovation project was part of a long-term initiative to upgrade dining facilities across UMass's campus.

7. University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA

Students Living on Campus: 13,000
Dining Head: Kenneth Toong, executive director of Auxiliary Enterprises
Total Enrollment: 28,518
No. of Meal Plans Sold: 17,200
Annual Dining Program Revenues: $85 million
Cost Range of Residential Meal Plans: $2,410-$2,835/semester
No. of Residential Dining Halls/Commons: 4
No. of Retail Outlets: 18
Management: self-operated
Website: www.umassdining.com
Phone: (413) 545-2472

UMass Dining was recently awarded a $485,000 grant from the Kendall Foundation to launch the UMass Healthy and Sustainable Food System, a two-year project designed to promote sustainability at UMass and elsewhere.

One of the beneficiaries of the two-year grant is Hampshire Dining Commons, which opened in September 2013 following a $15 million renovation and was designed to serve as testing ground for the Sustainable Food System initiative. It features a state of the art oval design and incorporates recycled materials, part of the reason it was recently awarded LEED Gold certification.

The Hampshire renovation project was part of a long-term initiative to upgrade dining facilities across the campus, an initiative that built on the highly successful 2007 renovation of Berkshire Dining Commons, which remains a showcase eatery.

New this year is the renovated Campus Center Eatery, with 12 original dining concepts, including an Organic Fair Trade Coffee Bar.

Campus Center Eatery, Berkshire and Hampshire are only the highlights of a campus dining program that has received numerous plaudits for its quality and culinary expertise, including numerous Best Concept Awards (including a Best of Show) from FM. The bottom line proof, however, is in the large number of voluntary meal plans sold and in dining program revenues, which are the highest in the segment.

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