Inaugural Class of Food Retail Management Students Graduate from Concordia University, St. Paul

With unique focus on food retail, program was co-created with industry experts

ST. PAUL, MINN. (06/22/2010)(readMedia)-- Concordia University, St. Paul graduated its first class of students enrolled in its new bachelor of arts in Food Retail Management program during commencement ceremonies held May 15, 2010, at the university's Gangelhoff Center.

Launched in 2008, Concordia University's undergraduate Food Retail Management program is unique in the region for both its academic focus and delivery. Concordia partnered with food industry experts including SUPERVALU to co-create a management degree focused specifically on the retail food and consumer packaged goods industry. With its focus on food retail, this degree is among the first of its kind in the nation.

The Food Retail Management program was created as an innovative option for students in the food industry to support their career growth and for the industry to develop its next leadership generation," said Christine Kudelka, chair of Concordia's Food Retail Management program. "The partnership with SUPERVALU enabled Concordia University to reach a largely untapped education market, demonstrating the power of collaboration when government, industry and higher education come together."

Students in the program work in a variety of areas of food retail and consumer packaged goods, such as marketing and merchandising, operations, category management, consumer behavior, retail finance, national accounts and talent management. The program is offered in an accelerated, 18-month, one night a week format making it possible for working adults to complete their degree and still work full-time. The degree is delivered in online and blended formats.

The inaugural class of graduates come from both SUPERVALU and independent retailer Lunds/Byerly's. Graduates from SUPERVALU include: Bruce Bostwick, director in National Business Development, Independent Sales, Marketing & Merchandising and Wholesale Supply Chain Services, from Savage, Minn., Eleanor Haverstock, senior performance consultant, from Delano, Minn., Lori Hoffman, category manager in produce, from St. Paul, Minn., Mark Phieler, project engineer, from Jordan, Minn., Angel Knuth, creative lead in Marketing Creative Services, from Minneapolis, Minn., and Ralph Cadmus, engineering group in Design Services Group, from Chanhassen, Minn. Graduates from Lunds/Byerly's include: Brian Kopp, general manager, from West St. Paul, Minn., August Schauer, general manager, from Richfield, Minn., and Kaitlyn Lester, general manager, from St. Paul, Minn.

Concordia University, St. Paul is a comprehensive, private university of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and one of 10 schools that comprise the Concordia University System. Established in 1893, Concordia offers more than 45 traditional liberal arts majors, including business administration, education, fine arts, the sciences and church professions. Concordia is a regional leader in adult accelerated undergraduate and graduate programs in business, education, criminal justice and Christian outreach offered online, in-class or in blended formats. Concordia is the only private university in Minnesota to offer NCAA Division II athletics for men and women. On the web at www.csp.edu.

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