Operations

UNLV offering degree in fast casual management

September 11, 2020

Aspiring restaurateurs looking for a formal education in the fast casual industry will soon be able to turn to UNLV's Harrah College of Hospitality. Thanks to a $5 million gift from Andrew and Peggy Cherng, co-founders and co-chief executive officers of Panda Restaurant Group — the parent company of Panda Express — the college has created an academic program in fast casual dining.

"This gift is an absolute game changer for the college and helps further UNLV's position as a world-leader in hospitality education," Stowe Shoemaker, dean of the Harrah Hotel College, said in a company press release. "The Cherngs are helping UNLV build a curriculum in an area that is underrepresented in hospitality programs worldwide, and one that will only grow in demand as interest in fast-casual dining continues to surge."

"It will give our students a broader understanding of the complex facets of the food and beverage market, and it will set them apart for growing employment opportunities in the fast-casual segment," Shoemaker said.

The gift will support:

• The hiring of a full-time faculty member to design a comprehensive fast casual curriculum as well as teach courses.
• The development and launch of a 15-credit fast casual academic concentration offered as part of the college's bachelor of science degree in hospitality management.

Over the past several years, Panda has placed dozens of UNLV students and graduates into line employee, supervisory and management positions.

"Peggy and I want to empower people through education, and what better place to do that than at the world's premier Hospitality College," Andrew Cherng said in the release. "We give because we want to be part of developing these students and providing them with opportunities to thrive in all aspects of their lives."

When Andrew Cherng began serving on the dean's global advisory board in 2017, a partnership between the Cherngs and the college quickly developed — one that was rooted in a shared vision.

"We [the Cherngs and the college] share the philosophy that life's greatest rewards come from changing the lives of others," Shoemaker said. "But as I've observed Andrew and Peggy over these last few years — the way they constantly strive to awaken the potential of others — I've become even more inspired to reach for that goal."

In 1999, the Cherngs created Panda Cares, which has raised more than $216 million to support the health and education of youth in underserved communities as well as disaster relief.

"Giving is essential for us," said Peggy Cherng. "Giving allows us to show our appreciation to the community that embraced us."

Plans are to offer a single course in fast casual during the 2021 spring semester and to develop a full concentration within the next 18 to 24 months.

The college offers academic concentrations in event and design management, hospitality beverage management, innovative restaurant management, PGA golf management and gaming management — with a concentration in tribal gaming operations also in the works.