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Regents
Online
Degree Programs
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1415 Murfreesboro Road, Suite
350
Nashville, TN 37217
Phone (615) 366-4400 Fax (615) 366-4464
Press Release
OPRYLAND HOTEL CULINARY INSTITUTE AND VOLUNTEER STATE RECOGNIZED BY TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS
Contact: Mary Morgan, Tennessee Board of
Regents; 615.366.4414
Todd Smith, Opryland; 615.871.6966
gtsmith@oprylandhotels.com
The Opryland Hotel Culinary Institute-one of
the nation's most prestigious culinary programs-and 
Volunteer
State Community College have received the "Academic Excellence and Quality
Award" from the Tennessee Board of Regents for their partnership program
combining apprenticeship under Opryland chefs with classroom education.
Participants in the program receive an Associate of Applied Science degree with a concentration in Culinary Arts.
The Opryland Hotel Culinary Institute and Volunteer State Community College received the award and made a presentation about its cutting-edge program at the quarterly Tennessee Board of Regents meeting at Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, Tennessee, on December 8, 2000.
"We are indeed honored to be recognized by the distinguished Tennessee Board of Regents for our efforts to enhance the entire hospitality and culinary industries, and more importantly our vision of cultivating the next generation of leading chefs," said Dina Starks, culinary apprentice coordinator for the Opryland Hotel.
Charles Manning, Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, said, "The purpose of the TBR award is to recognize innovative programs and partnerships among Regents institutions. The partnership between Vol State and Opryland has been a smashing success with a graduate placement rate of 100 percent and a graduation rate of 85%. It is also an outstanding example of a community college being responsive to the needs of the community and supportive of workforce development-in this case, in the hospitality industry."
As part of the December 8th ceremony and presentation, the Opryland Culinary Institute featured several display tables filled with gourmet culinary delights as well as information about the program.
The Opryland Hotel Culinary
Institute 
-a comprehensive three-year program launched by the hotel in 1987-has
been recognized over the years as the best program of its kind in the Southeast
by the American Culinary Federation. The pinnacle was reached in 1995 when
the ACF named the institute the best culinary apprentice program in the
nation.
The partnership with Volunteer State began in 1992 and has resulted in more than
doubling the completion rate for the program now that participants also receive
associate's degrees with transferable credits to 4-year hospitality management
programs.
The Tennessee Board of Regents system is the sixth largest system of higher education in the nation, surpassed only by two New York systems, two California systems and Florida. It includes six universities, 13 two-year institutions, and 26 technology centers. It enrolls more than 180,000 students annually in programs in 90 of Tennessee's 95 counties.
The Opryland Hotel and Attractions is part of the Gaylord Entertainment Company, a diversified entertainment company operating in three business segments: hospitality and attractions, creative content, and interactive media. It is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, and its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: GET).
