spring 2013 - Framingham State University

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“Fundamentally, we believe
that students still have to
know how to prepare food
and how much it costs.”
Tradition Runs Deep
Karen McGrail, director of the John C. Stalker Institute, calls FSU’s Food
and Nutrition Program “the premier program in New England.” And because
it’s at a state university, “students are getting an incredibly high-quality
experience with a phenomenal cost-benefit ratio. But that’s not at the
expense of personal attention: Faculty members are very vested in each
student’s success. Students get a lot of individual attention.”
McGrail, also an adjunct instructor in the program, speaks from experience.
She holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nutrition from FSU. Prior
to 1999, she worked in pediatric and neonatal nutrition at Massachusetts
General Hospital and MetroWest Medical Center, and then in private
practice in a pediatrician’s office consulting on nutrition issues.
“The foundation for my career has been my Framingham State degree,”
she says. “I couldn’t have done all the things I have without it.” Today’s
students have the advantage of a robust internship program, which
McGrail calls “amazing opportunities to prepare students for future jobs.”
As forward facing as the program is, Schwartz points out that it’s also firmly
rooted in Framingham State history. “Framingham State has always been
strong in nutrition. Years ago, it was based in home economics. Now,
there’s much more science and technology. But fundamentally, we believe
that students still have to know how to prepare food and how much it costs.
We haven’t lost those very basic values. We want students to learn that,
as well as how to write grants and create their own businesses.”
“In other words,” concludes McGrail, “with this degree, the sky’s the limit.”
FraMinghaM State UniverSity spring 2013
Karen McGrail
Celebrates
25 Years
John C.
Stalker
Institute
Reaching Out
as a state university, FSU takes its public
mission seriously. in the Food and nutrition
Program, that mission is lived through the
John C. Stalker institute (JSi) of Food and
nutrition, a resource for professionals
responsible for the nutritional health of
Massachusetts schoolchildren.
in 2013, the JSi, funded by the Massachusetts
Department of elementary and Secondary
education, celebrates 25 years of providing
programs and training to school nutrition
directors, managers and line staff at systems
throughout the Bay State.
“Massachusetts is unique in that it has this
resource—there’s nothing else like it at the
state level anywhere in the country,” says
JSi Director Karen Mcgrail. “Because it’s
housed at Framingham State University, it’s
the best of both worlds. it means JSi can
work collaboratively with students in courses
and on graduate assistantships, and can be
a resource for projects. it’s also great that
the people who take part in Stalker institute
programs see that connection. Many of them
then decide to come to Framingham State
University for their degrees.”
the Food and nutrition Program is planning a
gathering on Saturday, May 4, to give alumni
a chance to reconnect and to celebrate the
25th anniversary of JSi.
visit the University’s website at
www.framingham.edu for emerging details.