University of Akron Looks to Outsource its Campus Dining

The University of Akron (UA) is preparing an RFP for an outside contractor to run its dining services for the first time in the school's 145 year history, reports the Akron Beacon Journal. UA had spent $63,795 on three dining consultants over the past few years to study the issue, a critical one for the financially struggling school facing declining enrollment, and they generally indicated student dissatisfaction with current choices and recommended exploring outsourcing the program.

Currently, about 2,500 of UA's 27,000 students purchase a dining plan costing from $500 to $2,200 each semester. Dining services at UA are budgeted to take in $16.5 million this year, with six percent slated to be paid over to the school's general budget.