COLUMBIA, SC, August 4, 2021, Benedict College joins several progressive colleges in the country that plan to increase their plant-based menu offerings by 5% through 2024. The decision secures the school’s role as a trailblazer in the plant-forward movement.
Benedict College contracts its food service to Perkins Management Services. Perkins has been working with student groups and external organizations to increase the College’s plant-based offerings. The leadership at Perkins Management signed the Forward Food Pledge, making Benedict College the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the nation to make the commitment.
“Benedict College is always seeking innovative and healthy ways to improve its food service program for students, faculty, staff, and guests,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO of Benedict College. “As a transformative college, we support plant-based culinary cuisine as a new food option. We see Meatless Monday as an opportunity to make a positive step towards our sustainability goals as the BEST of BC!”
Sue Doran of Let’s Meat Less has been one of the catalysts in establishing Meatless Monday at Benedict. She introduced the College to companies that produce sustainable food. “Meatless Monday confirms to students, faculty, and staff that Benedict cares about their health and the health of their environment,” stated Doran, Founder of Let’s Meat Less.
The collaboration does not just mark a great partnership for Benedict College, Let’s Meat Less, and Forward Food. It also brings to fruition the efforts placed by students, who collaborated with staff and faculty to make Meatless Monday a reality.
“We have built a strong partnership with our internal community by listening to and sharing ideas with different campus groups regarding healthier options,” noted Sam Pearson, Director of Dining Services at Benedict College. “We’ve worked with the Student Government Association, the Student Based Food Committee, and the newly created BCCares Health and Wellness Initiative, which promotes healthy lifestyles for faculty and staff.”
Meatless Monday at Benedict College kicks-off on Monday, August 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with an outdoor cook-out featuring a variety of delectable meatless dishes and sides, purple and gold snow cones, a live DJ, the Benedict College Marching Band of Distinction, Cheerleaders, and an oversized interactive video wall.
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Media Contacts:
Kymm Hunter: Kymm.Hunter@Benedict.edu
Brynley Farr: brynley@bfarr.com
About Benedict College
Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution, offering 25 competitive baccalaureate degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from all 46 counties in South Carolina, 30 states across America, and 26 countries around the world.
Benedict offers several high-demand fields of study in STEM, Cyber Security, Mass Communication, Sport Management, Business Administration, Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, and Education. The College also has a diverse faculty and importantly, 80 percent of courses are taught by full-time faculty.
There are over 18,000 proud Benedict Tigers throughout the nation. Benedict College has been a community leader for over 150-years and is a significant contributor to South Carolina and the region. Contributing $130 million and 1,218 jobs in total local and annual economic impact, a Benedict graduate working full-time throughout his or her working life can expect to earn $1.1 million in additional income because of their Benedict College degree.
The College made front-page news in the spring of 2018 when it became the first South Carolina college to lower its tuition by 26 percent. Cutting tuition drew praise from the Commission on Higher Education, South Carolina’s education oversight body. The commissioner noted that the move Benedict College made should be applauded because it offers families affordability and students greater access to higher education.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications. For example, Benedict College was ranked as one of the top baccalaureate colleges in the nation by Washington Monthly magazine for creating social mobility and producing cutting-edge scholarship and research. In 2019, Benedict College received the 2019 ACE/ Fidelity Investments Awards for Institutional Transformation and was named the HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: The School of Education, Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Studio Art Program, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
About Let’s Meat Less
Let’s Meat Less is a non-profit organization in Columbia, SC, founded in 2020 to educate and empower eating habits that positively impact our health, our environment, our community, and our farmed animal friends. Founder Sue Doran, MS, RDN, is a licensed registered dietitian nutritionist, UofSC alum, and longtime Columbia resident. Following years of nutrition consultations with people suffering from diet-related diseases, she now spends her time on the prevention side of eating.
