July 19, 2013. Retrieved online September 6, 2013 from Alta LeCompte, Las Cruces Bulletin

The health effects of buying (and selling) veggies and fruits

[Excerpts below reprinted with permission: Read the complete Las Cruces Bulletin article]

Collin Payne, marketing professor at NMSU, said selling fresh produce is a win-win: Retailers make a healthy profit and consumers get better nutrition.

How smart is your shopping cart?

If it’s not smart enough to remind you you’d be better off without the Moon Pies – and then guide you to make healthier choices – it’s not up to the standard set by New Mexico State University marketing professor Collin Payne.

His mission is to help consumers choose health-promoting foods while delivering to retailers profits as high or higher than they’re accustomed to.

“The goal of this job is to find out how busi­nesses can survive by people eating healthier,” he said.

Inventing the cart of the future

Since his arrival at NMSU in 2006, Payne has studied consumer food selection behavior.

Now he’s moving what he’s learned in su­per markets into more stores, as well as into NMSU’s business incubator, Arrowhead Center. At Arrowhead, he’s inventing the shop­ping cart of his dreams. He’s partnering with Jason Koenig, Arrowhead Center’s launch director, to produce a prototype for food retailers.

Protecting retail’s bottom line

Payne’s early research with carts sounds simple: He used yellow tape to divide shopping carts into two compartments, one labeled fruits and vegetables and one for everything else.

“We found a 102 percent increase in people buying fruits and vegetables, without showing a decrease in supermarket profitability,” he said.

Pushing the cart

Payne said the Paso del Norte Health Foundation has been “super supportive” of shopping cart studies he’s conducted in El Paso with colleague Mihai Niculescu.

In September, Payne will be off to Pay ’N’ Save headquarters in Littlefield, Texas, where he will pitch his win-win scenario to the CEO and other top management of the chain that includes Big 8, Fiesta Foods and Lowe’s.

Research gets a new home

Also new in September will be the College of Business behavioral lab that will afford Payne, Niculescu and others a custom-designed space in which to study consumers’ choices.

“The lab can attract multidisciplinary col­laborations (within and outside NMSU),” a uni­versity press release stated. “Investigators from departments such as marketing; management; economics; finance; accounting; public health; psychology; hotel, Restaurant, and tourism management; community extension, consumer and family Sciences; nutrition; anthropology; and sociology could benefit from the behavioral lab located in the College of Business. Higher multi-disciplinary research activity may result in increased visibility of the College of Business as a leader in creative efforts to help solve busi­ness problems related to human behavior and act as a liaison with the business community.”

An accidental researcher

Payne grew up in Utah, the child of a single mother aided at times by government programs while completing her own education and rais­ing her children.

His first ambition when he arrived at Brigham Young University was to acquire the skills to help people directly through counsel­ing. But a series of coincidences and his own expanding view of the world and his role in it sent him in a different direction.

Payne said he shops for food occasionally, seeking healthy options for himself, his wife and their three children. He acknowledged, however, he also has been known to reach for attractively packaged and displayed junk food.

“It would be a sad day if companies ever stopped making candy bars,” he said, “But shoppers need better tools.”

August 2, 2013 by Jane Moorman, NMSU News Center

Central New Mexico Community College students who have an associate degree or are near to obtaining one in the Hospitality and Tourism Program now have the opportunity to transfer and earn a bachelor’s degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management from New Mexico State University – all without ever stepping outside of Albuquerque.

Starting in fall 2013, CNM students can study to earn their Bachelor of Science degree from NMSU by taking a series of face-to-face and online courses. As current CNM students or CNM graduates, they could qualify to begin classes at NMSU as juniors. Students with associate degrees in the hospitality field from other schools are also welcome, if their degree work is aligned with NMSU curriculum.

According to the Tourism Association of New Mexico, the tourism industry contributed approximately $5.5 billion to the economy last year. As a leading industry in the state, hospitality careers continue to be in demand.

“This is an exciting partnership between CNM and NMSU designed to give hospitality and culinary students in the central and northern part of the state the opportunity to get a bachelor’s degree in their field without leaving the area,” said Donna Diller, Dean of CNM’s School of Business & Information Technology. “Many of our students have families and jobs and are not able to leave and attend school in Las Cruces.”

NMSU has the only hospitality related bachelor’s program in the state that encompasses hotel, restaurant and tourism management.

“As the land-grant university in our state, NMSU has long understood our mission to serve all of New Mexico. The growth of this partnership will enable us to offer a dynamic baccalaureate program beyond the Las Cruces campus,” said Janet Green, director of NMSU’s School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management.

A preliminary information session will be held from 11 a.m. to noon Friday, Aug. 9, at CNM’s new culinary arts dining room at 725 University Blvd., at the corner of Basehart and University.

NMSU will hold an advising and information session from 2 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14, at the NMSU Albuquerque Center, 4510 Indian School Road NE.

The initial offerings will consist of two courses: Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Marketing and Hospitality Management Accounting.

The hospitality marketing class will be a combination of face-to-face lectures and some online learning. It will be offered every other Wednesday from 6-8:30 p.m. beginning Aug. 28. The hospitality accounting class will be conducted completely online. Most classes will be held at the NMSU Albuquerque Center. Advanced-level cooking classes will be conducted in the new culinary arts building on the CNM Main Campus.

For more information contact Julie Correa at NMSU’s School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, 575-646-5918 or jzumwalt@nmsu.edu.

October 21, 2013 by Julie M. Hughes, NMSU News Center

At a regular meeting Oct. 21, the New Mexico State University Board of Regents authorized the institution to submit applications for two governmental licenses for the sale of alcohol at the Pan American Center and the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management.

NMSU Regents Mike Cheney, Javier Gonzales and Jordan Banegas voted to authorize the institution to submit the application for the Pan American Center, while Regent Kari Mitchell voted no. Cheney, Gonzales, Banegas and Mitchell voted yes to apply for the license for the HRTM program. Regent Isaac Pino abstained from both votes.

The Regents will discuss the use of the proceeds from alcohol sales at the Pan American Center and other NMSU venues during the budget process in an effort to increase funding support for the NMSU Wellness, Alcohol and Violence Education (WAVE) Program and the Employee Assistance Program from revenue generated from alcohol sales.

The Pan American Center has been utilizing special dispenser permits to accommodate the sale of beer and wine at various events for many years, however, the number of full-license holders interested in applying for special dispenser permits is limited, said Scott Breckner, NMSU special events director.

Beer and wine have been served or sold in the Pan American Center at concerts, boxing matches, ballets, fundraisers and a variety of receptions and luncheons. If the university obtains a governmental license for the Pan American Center, it will consider expanding alcohol sales to other events, such as athletic events. Revenue to the institution from the sale of alcohol at the Pan American Center will increase if the university operates the sales through a governmental license. Another opportunity under consideration is the promotion of New Mexico wines and micro-brews at events.

NMSU Police Chief Stephen Lopez said the police department has been managing events with alcohol at the Pan American Center for more than a decade.

“We do increase staff when alcohol is served. We also station trained officers or security at each location dispensing alcohol,” Lopez said. “It is much better when we can control the environment where alcohol is being sold and served.”

The governmental license application for the School of HRTM would be for Gerald Thomas Hall where the 100 West Café and the Bobby Lee Lawrence Academy of Wine are located. The wine academy has an 880-bottle storage capacity devoted to wine education courses. The license application process also will allow the school to educate students going into food and beverage management about the merits of licensing and how it works in a private-sector environment.

The Regents also selected Jerry Landrum to receive an honorary doctorate at the December commencement ceremony. Landrum graduated from NMSU in 1961 with a degree in chemistry. He is a retired chemist who was recently honored for his participation in the collaborative work of scientists and researchers at the U.S. Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and the Flerov Institute in Dubna, Russia, that resulted in the discovery of six new heavy elements, including Flerovium and Livermorium, which have been added to the periodic table.

In other business, the Regents heard informational reports from Andy Burke, interim president of NMSU’s Dona Ana Community College, and Bernadette Montoya, NMSU’s vice president for student affairs.

Burke reported on activities planned for DACC’s 40th anniversary, leadership transition committees, accreditation, a student enrollment profile and facilities planning. DACC will host a visit from the Higher Learning Commission in April 2014 for reaffirmation of the community college’s accreditation.

Montoya gave an update on enrollment including giving the Regents a regional perspective on enrollment. NMSU enrollment was down 5.1 percent systemwide this fall. She indicated that there are multiple factors that impact enrollment; for example she said the number of high school graduates in New Mexico is the lowest it has been in four years.

The Regents also presented an Above & Beyond Award to Fred Lillibridge, associate vice president accreditation, compliance and planning for NMSU Dona Ana Community College. The Above & Beyond Award recognizes full-time employees who go the extra distance in service to any and all aspects of the NMSU system. Individuals are recognized for performance that goes “above and beyond” their regular responsibilities and for demonstrating a positive attitude that inspires others.

In a letter supporting the nomination, Bobbie Derlin said, “During the 20 years of our association, I have observed Fred to be actively engaged in ways that make the educational experiences of our students and the professional lives of our staff and faculty better. Fred’s work has helped both NMSU-DACC and NMSU achieve recognition as a state and national leader supporting student achievement.”

The next regularly scheduled Board of Regents meeting will be Dec. 13. Board meetings are available through webcast at http://panopto.nmsu.edu/bor.

May 19, 2014 by Tiffany Acosta, NMSU News Center

New Mexico State University Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management professor and chef Maurice Zeck, left, talks with students at the Bobby Lee Lawrence Academy of Wine located inside Gerald Thomas Hall. Zeck is teaching Foods and Wines of France during the summer at NMSU. (NMSU photo by Darren Phillips)

From dance to food and wine to online public health classes, there is something for everyone at New Mexico State University during the summer.

The NMSU summer session spans from May 22 until Aug. 1. NMSU offers two five-week sessions, from May 22 to June 26 and from June 27 to Aug. 1, and an eight-week session from May 22-July 18. Early registration ends May 21 and late registration is from May 22-29.

“I think a lot of students take courses because it gives them an opportunity to catch up on credits,” said Terry Cook, assistant vice president for student engagement. “There were maybe courses they weren’t able to take in the fall or spring semesters, so it’s an opportunity to continue with their degree progress.”

With only a one-week break from classes, Hannah Cole, dance assistant professor in the College of Education, will begin teaching her DanceSport Certification Preparation course May. 19. Her class spans six hours each day for two-weeks.

“At the end of the intensive course, students will be given the opportunity to gain national certification in eight dances,” she said. “I think it’s a much more relaxed environment in which to learn especially in terms of a certification intensive. We just couldn’t offer this type of class at any other time during the year. Summer session allows us to offer classes that we can’t fit into the actual school year.”

Ariel Freilich, DanceSport graduate student, will take Cole’s class and then will teach Introduction to Latin Social Dance during the second summer session.

“I love Latin,” she said. “It’s really spicy and there’s great self-expression.”

Freilich said she also is utilizing online education courses in the summer to pursue her master’s degree.

“You have far fewer distractions even though it’s summertime,” she said. “Summer is beautiful and you get to have so much fun, but at the same time, I’m taking online classes so you can really have your own focus of when you are able to sit down and study.”

Satya Rao, public health sciences associate professor, agreed that online classes offer flexibility to both students and instructors.

“I think it gives the opportunity for students to actually be away from campus,” Rao said. “So that’s a big advantage of having online courses. It also gives the faculty sort of a break to be some place else, but still be able to teach.”

Rao is slated to teach three online classes in the College of Health and Social Services, including Infectious and Noninfectious Disease Prevention, Cross-Cultural Aspects of Health and Theoretically-Based Interventions.

“I think people may think that summer courses may be easy or they may not learn as much because it’s a summer course, but I think most of the summer courses that I teach and others in my department and college teach are as rigorous as the other semesters are,” she said. “I think it’s a good way of getting ahead of the curve and taking a couple more courses and graduating sooner than you might plan on.”

NMSU students aren’t the only ones that can take advantage of summer courses on campus. Chef Maurice Zeck, college assistant professor in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, is teaching Foods and Wines of France, which is open to community members for a fee that covers the cost of the food and wine.

“During the summertime, we have time to do this and there’s a lot of demand,” he said. “A lot of people are interested in food and wine these days.”

With about an even split of students and community members, Zeck said he enjoys the class, which is during the second summer session from 5-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

“I get a great cross section of people,” he said. “Some of the students are in their 60s and 70s and then we have 21 and 22-year-olds mixed in with them. The interaction is always very interesting.”

Zeck said an advantage of summer courses is often the smaller class size.

“When I have 12 students opposed to 25, I can drill down much deeper into the food, get the students more involved in the food, talk about the philosophy of French cooking, the method, the technique, is what the French call it,” he said. “Once you learn the technique, you can cook anything.”

For a complete course listing at NMSU, visit www.nmsu.edu/course.

June 11, 2014 by Amanda Bradford, NMSU News Center

Chef Maurice Zeck, left, a college assistant professor in the New Mexico State University School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism, was recently honored with the 2014 Outstanding Professional Award by the National Agri-Marketing Association. Zeck was nominated for the award by the NMSU NAMA student marketing competition team. (Photo by Darren Phillips)

Chef Maurice Zeck, a college assistant professor in the New Mexico State University School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management, has a long list of professional awards to his name, ranging from the American Culinary Federation President’s Medal for Service to the Industry to the New Mexico Restaurant Association Chef of the Year.

But another award he recently received still came as a very pleasant surprise to Zeck, because it came not from his peers in the restaurant industry, but from some of the students he’s helped support in their efforts to compete on the national stage.

The student marketing competition team of the NMSU chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association nominated Zeck for the national Outstanding Professional award, given each year to recognize a professional involved with a NAMA student chapter who goes above and beyond to improve the quality of the students’ experience in the program.

Zeck was selected from more than 30 nominees to receive this year’s award, accepted on his behalf by the team’s faculty adviser, Chadelle Robinson, at NAMA’s national Agri-Marketing Conference in Jacksonville, Fla.

The marketing competition team fared well at the national conference, earning a Chapter Performance Award for their chapter communications and placing in the top 10 teams for their annual report.

Jeremy Witte, NMSU NAMA president, said Zeck has provided the team and the club with insight into food service and retail environments throughout the Southwest, often leveraging his industry connections to help the students raise funds for travel and competition expenses.

“Without these essential connections within the food service industry, many of our past projects would have never developed,” Witte said. “Chef has made the NAMA marketing team successful. His sincere guidance has made the difference for many students.”

Zeck was a member of the team himself during his undergraduate study, and stayed on to help with their fundraising projects – especially an annual golf tournament that helped fund travel and other expenses.

“I was truly surprised to be nominated and even more so to have received the award,” Zeck said. “We bring these young people in from farms and ranches and teach them to articulate their thoughts and ideas, both orally and written. What could be better? They usually see more of the world than they could ever see from the farm and they indeed learn that we live in a wider world.”

Robinson, the team’s adviser, praised Zeck’s contribution to her team’s success.

“The students who’ve worked with Chef were excited to nominate him for all his help with their golf tournament and marketing plan projects,” she said.

Prior to joining the NMSU faculty, Zeck was the corporate executive chef and business development manager for Sysco Food Service of New Mexico. He is a distinguished member of the American Culinary Federation, serves on the executive board of the New Mexico Restaurant Association, and is a member of the New Mexico Lodgers Association.

June 23, 2014 by Tiffany Acosta, NMSU News Center

COB Editor’s note: Bill Gould (Economics, Applied Statistics and International Business Department professor) partnered with biology professor Tim Wright for the March 2014 FLiP tropical field ecology course in Costa Rica.

Tim Wright, biology associate professor (fifth from right), and William Gould, economics, applied statistics and international business professor, taught a faculty-led international program course in March in northern Costa Rica. New Mexico State University offered 14 FLiP courses in 2014. (Courtesy photo)

A passport is a ticket to the world, and New Mexico State University students have an opportunity to travel internationally through the Faculty-Led International Program (FLiP).

“FLiP is a new program that is designed to help faculty members, who want to teach an international course,” FLiP coordinator Ed Boles said.

In the second-year, FLiP offered 14 courses in 2014, which doubled the number from its first year. FLiP courses allow students the chance to study abroad without interfering with their regular semester classes on campus.

“These are quite different than a standard course,” Boles said. “When you are in travel mode or in the field setting, it’s a 24/7 situation.”

Since faculty members design their own class, each course is unique and travel duration along with the number of pre-travel and post-travel class meetings vary.

“I think what really pulls students into the program is being able to get into the field and learn firsthand about something they have only been reading about, whether that’s business or biology,” Boles said. “When you are on site and you are actually involved with the subject material, it makes for a whole different educational experience.

“There are often students who do not have a lot of travel experience that are gravitating towards these opportunities, especially when we can provide courses that expose students to travel opportunities much cheaper than they could go on their own,” he said. “It also attracts a lot of students who have never been outside the borders of the U.S. It’s a great way for students to become exposed to international travel, because they are traveling with a faculty member who knows the area that they are going to and they are traveling with classmates.”

For spring break 2014, Elvira Hammond, history college associate professor, and Margaret Goehring, art history assistant professor, led the Splendors of Imperial China class on a trip to northwest China as part of the HIST 323/549 and ART 311/511 FLiP course. This was the largest FLiP course to date with 28 members, which included community members for the first time. In addition to 12 NMSU students, the group included NMSU faculty and administration, retirees, alumni and family members, and the age range was 14 to 76.

“We had a very multi-generational mix of people who were sharing this incredible international learning experience and were able to interact and discuss issues and exchange in ways that we typically don’t have available in our society anymore,” Boles said. “We visited some incredible sights. It was a first-time effort for most of the people in this kind of course and many of them want to do it again.”

After arriving in Beijing for the 12-day journey, participants visited many historical sights including the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Great Wall, National Art Museum and Beijing Opera. The group also visited Datong, Pingyao, Yuncheng, XianProv, Luoyang and Shanghai.

FLiP courses have a wide range of topics that span the gamut of colleges at NMSU from languages and linguistics to hotel, restaurant and tourism management to creative media arts.

A research assistant professor in the fish wildlife and conservation ecology department, Boles taught a FLiP course, herpetology FWCE 467/567, in Panama following finals in May.

“It was an incredible experience, lot of frogs, lizards and snakes we were able to collect, identify and photograph and release,” he said. “It was a very successful course. We had 11 participants, and two were non-NMSU students. Most of this course was spent within the field station property.”

Boles said he anticipates that FLiP courses will continue to grow and he plans to talk with department heads this summer about courses for 2015. He also expects NMSU to continue to provide community members the opportunity to participate in FLiP courses.

A FLiP course can be a life-changing experience for students according to Boles.

“A lot of these students end up taking advantage of our study abroad opportunities or sign up for another faculty-led course or begin doing some traveling on their own,” he said. “It opens doors.”

For more information on FLiP courses, visit http://ibp.nmsu.edu or call 575-646-4528.