MCTC culinary arts program is on the chopping block

Just four years after opening a $2 million state-of-the-art facility, the popular culinary arts program at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College is on the verge of closing.

It's not because of a shortage of students. It's because of concern that the students won't be able to pay off their college loans.

This is the first time, college officials say, that they have recommended suspending a program largely because of its loan default rate — in this case, 42 percent. The proposal, announced this month, has taken both students and faculty by surprise.

"Everybody was blindsided by it," said Phil Gatto, a chef who has taught in the culinary arts program since 1980.

Until this month, he said, he had no idea that the default rate was so high — or that it might mean the "kiss of death" for his program. About 150 MCTC students are majoring in culinary arts, getting training for careers in the restaurant industry, and the program has a waiting list every fall. But the college's administrators, who are trying to cut costs in the face of a budget deficit, say they've started to look closer at "student outcomes" when deciding what stays and what goes.

"It isn't good enough anymore to say, 'This is a program that's popular,' " said Avelino Mills-Novoa, interim president. "We have to answer the question: What's happening to graduates when they leave our institution?"

Gail O'Kane, vice president for academic affairs, said that the school's culinary arts graduates have "among the lowest wages" of all its programs — about $12 an hour, on average. That's one reason for their high default rate, she said. "They're entering a profession where they're not making back enough to pay off [the loans]."

"It was something that we thought we couldn't ignore," O'Kane said.

Gatto, one of three culinary arts instructors, argues that the program is one of the few affordable options for low-income students who want to become chefs or restaurant managers. "We're giving them the opportunity to learn a skill that they might not be able to get," he said. A two-year degree costs about $11,400, a fraction of the cost at private culinary schools.

Even if starting salaries are low, he said, the training sets them up for future advancement. "If you take away our certificates and diplomas and degrees in culinary, they're always going to be making that $10 an hour because they don't have that education."

Gatto said he's particularly dismayed given the 2010 renovation of the culinary arts center, which has a bustling commercial kitchen.

Technically, the program would not shutter immediately, but would be closed to new students. Officials are expected to make their final recommendation on Monday.

But to some, the news is unsettling.

"I went home and cried," said Aiesha Caldwell, 31, of north Minneapolis, who is studying for a diploma in culinary arts. "Cooking is my passion," she said, and her goal is to open her own restaurant. She said she picked this program because "this actually fits in my budget where I can actually afford it at the end of the day."

Jackie Jackson, 44, of Lakeville, sees the program as a path out of poverty. "Not everybody's super-super book smart," said Jackson, who hopes to earn an associate degree in culinary arts and restaurant management. "This is an industry that's always going to be around — people have to eat. I think it's kind of disappointing that they feel this part of the program could be cut."

Daniela Di Marcantonio, 30, who moved from Italy to attend the restaurant management program, calls the decision shortsighted. "If you give people enough time, they're going to find a job that pays more than $12 an hour," she said. "They will be able to pay off their loans."

But student debt wasn't the only factor, said vice president O'Kane. Culinary arts is also a costly program to operate, she said, at a time when the college must make tough choices.

The administration also has recommended phasing out several other small programs, including air traffic control and biotechnology. The proposals would affect about 3 percent of the 13,000 student body, O'Kane said.

"It's giving us the ability to invest in programs that are providing a living wage," she said, and a "path to a better life. That's what higher education is about."

Maura Lerner • 612-673-7384