Dear AU Community, 

Last month, we shared the exciting updates coming to our dining program and today we will provide additional information before the end of the semester.  

Thank you to our entire community for your incredible participation at our events with Chef Jet Tila. Chef Tila’s active engagement and willingness to share his culinary expertise with our community are emblematic of what guides our improvement efforts, which is to support our community through sharing of great food and gatherings. Because of widespread participation and the efforts of our campus partners, we were able to raise support and awareness for food insecurity initiatives on our campus. Door sales from cash, credit, debit, and Eaglebucks increased 60 percent and meal swipe usage increased 40 percent compared to a usual day at the Terrace Dining Room (TDR) and Paper Lantern. As a direct result, the Dining Program and Chartwells will donate five percent of door sales or $1,270 towards the Market Pantry and Graduate Food Insecurity efforts and donate 2,217 meal swipes towards the Eagles Helping Eagles program for use in fall 2023. 

This success could not happen without the participation and enthusiasm of our community, and we are grateful for everyone’s support. Moving forward, we will work across the campus community to plan similarly unique events next year as part of our dining improvements and new meal plan offerings so that we are brought together as a community through the shared experience of a meal, while also supporting critical programs across our campus through fundraising and awareness building.  

We are now focused on preparing for the significant summer renovation and construction projects to complete the retail hub that enables the next phases of the Student Thriving Project announced by President Burwell in her April 7, 2023 communication. To support the move of the campus store, we will close the current Eagles Nest location on April 15, and move into the new location in the former Capital One Bank space on April 16 and 17 and reopen on Tuesday, April 18.  

In the coming weeks, we will announce two opportunities to engage in our planning for fall 2023. Before the end of the semester, we will ask the community to participate in the renaming opportunity for the Eagle’s Nest and the East Campus market. Based on this input, we will change the names of both locations this fall. In May, we will share virtual and in-person focus group opportunities for faculty and staff to give input on our reimagined University Club concept.   

We invite the AU community to contact us at mealplans@american.edu with questions or comments, and you can find more information about our dining program online at https://dineoncampus.com/au.   

Onward we go together,  

Bronté Burleigh-Jones
Chief Financial Officer, Vice President, and Treasurer

Michael Scher
Assistant Vice President, Campus Auxiliary Services and Airlie  

Ann Marie Powell
Sr. Director, Dining and Auxiliary Services