OCC culinary program receives exemplary seven-year accreditation

The Oakland Community College Culinary Studies Institute has been granted a seven-year exemplary accreditation by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation's Accrediting Commission.

The Culinary Studies Institute offers five programs, giving students many options in the Hospitality field. Degrees include:
 
Culinary Arts Degree
 
The largest of the Institute's programs, Culinary Arts gives students a combination of classroom and hands-on experience. In addition to time in the kitchen labs cooking and baking, specialties such as ice carving and wine and spirits are covered. Students participate in events such as the annual Wassail Feast and operation of the Ridgewood Cafe, a restaurant located at the Orchard Ridge Campus. It's not only about cooking--students learn management techniques and skills necessary to become an executive chef or owning a restaurant.
 
Baking & Pastry Arts Certificate
 
Deserts, wedding cakes and breads are the focus of this program. Pastry chefs are sought after by restaurants, hotels, private clubs and catering companies. In just one year students can learn the special skills it takes to turn out edible works of art.
 
Restaurant Management Degree
 
The Restaurant Management degree offers unique courses to develop skills in supervision, leadership, culinary arts, cost analysis, and wines and spirits. Hands-on experience coordinating and managing special events at the Culinary Studies Institute rounds out their education.
 
Hotel/Motel Management Degree
 
This degree prepares students for the business of managing a hotel or motel from the inside out. Classes focus on guest services, human resources, marketing, profitability and hotel operations.

For more information, click here.

OCC student receives $1,000 scholarship

Troy High School graduate Carol "Katie" Zunker is among 21 top students receiving $1,000 college scholarships to encourage their pursuit of law enforcement/public safety careers by the professional public safety officers of the Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP).

Zunker will be taking criminal justice classes at Oakland Community College. She plans to
transfer to Ferris State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

She participated in the American Legion Student Trooper Program. In high school, she was on the softball team and Environmental Activist Club. She took a criminal law class in high school and received an Outstanding Performance Award in her forensics class.

 

“I have coached and taught Carol “Katie” Zunker in my Life Skills classroom over a time
period of approximately three years,” wrote MacKenzie Morris, teacher at Troy High School, in a recommendation letter. “Katie is driven by self-discipline and personal motivation to achieve her goals. She learns very quickly and always tries her hardest.”

 

In its ninth year, LEEP has awarded $102,000 in Dream Scholarships to students showing
interest in public service/law enforcement careers. The non-profit public safety group’s scholarship program is made possible by a growing list of national supporters.

Visit www.leepusa.com for more information about LEEP programs.

Meditation classes and lecture series offered in Royal Oak and Auburn Hills

Oakland Community College Continuing Education is offering meditation classes and a lecture series starting this September at the Royal Oak and Auburn Hills campuses.

Two-week meditation classes for beginners and those looking for group meditation start September 16. Each 90-minute class includes two meditation sessions, discussion, and a question/answer period. Two-week sessions are $29.

Times and locations are as follows:
· 7-8:30 p.m., September 16 and 23, Room 242, M-TEC Building, at the Auburn Hills campus.
· 10-11:30 a.m., September 21 and 28, Room 204, Building A, Royal Oak campus.
· 10-11:30 a.m., October 26 and November 2, Room 204, Building A, Royal Oak campus

In addition, a three-week meditation lecture series starts in October. The series is 10 a.m. to noon, on Saturdays, October 5 through October 19 in Room 204, Building A, Royal Oak campus. Topics covered are:  “Experience the Self: An Inner Journey,” “Mastering the Play of Opposites,” and “A Peaceful Mind is a Precious Gift.” 

Each two-hour presentation includes meditation, sharing, and a question/answer period. Lectures can be taken individually or as a discounted series. One to two lectures are $25 each.  All three lectures are $69.

Classes are taught by Kathy Bindu Henning. For information and registration visit www.oaklandcc.edu/ce or contact Holly Greene at 248-232-4150 or khgreen@oaklandcc.edu.

Orientation Targets New Student Veterans



Student veterans & OCC staff celebrate the Veterans Resoure Room opening.

Student veterans will be front and center at a special orientation for all OCC veterans to take place Monday.

The event will take place 4-7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5 in Room G240 of the Auburn Hills campus. It will include a special welcome from the Auburn Hills president Dr. Gordon May and various presentatives from veterans groups and OCC support services.

OCC alum and student veteran Cristy Burchartz is excited that OCC is enhancing its services for student veterans. The co-founder of the OCC Student Veterans Association helped advised OCC administrators on what services are important for student veterans.

Those needs vary from the typical students’, Burchartz says. Many veteran students are adjusting to life after the military, have benefits available that differ from other students’ and need special support sorting through military benefits, financial aid and disability services.

“OCC is making great strides,” she said. “The veterans-only orientation is a huge step.”

Katherine McMullen, Director of Student Services on the Auburn Hills campus, says OCC has about 500 student veterans and the numbers have been climbing.

Planners have a robust lineup of services available at Monday’s orientation to include representatives from the Student Veterans Association, the OCC Counseling Department, Academic Support Center, ACCESS, Financial Aid, Library Services, Placement Services, Veterans Affairs, Student Life, Recruiting, OCC faculty, the Pontiac Veterans Center, Oakland County Veterans Services Division, and the Disabled American Veterans Association.

“We hope to answer as many questions as we can and to streamline their transition to OCC,” McMullen said.

“We will talk about how to navigate student services, registration, records, about classroom success skills and how to be prepared for the fall,” McMullen said. “We hope to get valuable feedback on how we are doing so that we can keep improving services.”

“We recognize this valuable group of students and want them to know we value their service and want to provide them the skills they need to transition back to life after the military,” she added.

For more information and to RSVP, email ahorientation@oaklandcc.edu.

Visit the Student Veteran Association at Oakland Community College Facebook page here.