Trusted Industry Leaders on
SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE™️: The Missing Ingredient
Dave Annis, Director
"SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE™️: “The Missing Ingredient” is a wonderful video. It truly talks to many of the principles and beliefs that I have had throughout my career in Dining. Imaginatively structured Dining environments can help students succeed by providing a safe environment to discover their place and voice on campus"
Jackie Ferree, Senior Vice President, Operations and Business Services
"This is not merely a documentary; it's a platform for change in the educational landscape. It's a poignant reminder that the mortar between the bricks of academic success is the sense of belonging and community is found in the most unexpected places." I have seen the Porter program truly transform the dining experience on many campuses and could not be more excited about the documentary and how small changes make the biggest differences in our student’s lives."
Kris Klinger, Vice President,
Auxiliary Services
"We are a social species, and a sense of community is like oxygen for the soul. The Higher Education experiences are best experienced as part of a community. A sense of community also positively affects affinity. Understanding better how to successfully bring our students together and create an environment conducive to 'breaking bread', socializing and building community is a responsibility we cannot take lightly. The social and mental health of our institutions and society and depending on us."
David Keala, Director of Food Services
"Short yet profoundly impactful, 'The Missing Ingredient' succinctly encapsulates a vision where dining is not merely a physical act but a catalyst for community building, intellectual growth, and emotional development."
Neil Markley, Associate Vice President, Administration & Finance
"In this age of social media, the lack of true social connections and resulting loneliness has become a pervasive problem. Social Architecture: The Missing Ingredient shines a spotlight on how colleges and universities can help their students tackle this problem through the seemingly simple and routine act of dining. This documentary demonstrates the power of higher education institutions in helping develop students into well-rounded citizens and leaders. It also provides insight into student development outcomes provided by out of the classroom college and university experiences."
Bob Valenti, AVP for Auxiliary Services
"SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE™ “The Missing Ingredient” gets to the heart of what we are all striving to provide for our students. A sense of belonging, community and caring. Having over forty years of experience in the hospitality industry, thirty-plus of which are in higher education, I have witnessed the evolution of carefree independence in our students to one of need. Need to be welcomed, valued, heard, and need to be understood and mostly accepted. Our dining halls can and should provide a space that delivers on each. I applaud the efforts of everyone involved in creating and promoting the message in this important mini documentary."
Dr. Daryl Burckel, President
"Humans are social beings. This profoundly impactful message, 'The Missing Ingredient' succinctly encapsulates a vision where dining is not merely a physical act but a catalyst for community building, intellectual growth, and emotional development."
Gerald L. Silberman, Senior Vice President, Administration & Finance
"I’ve seen first-hand how impactful the program changes and facility modifications summarized in “SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE, The Missing Ingredient” are on students, particularly first-time students. Despite having equivalent academic credentials, today’s students struggle with personal challenges and aren’t always outgoing enough to establish networks of support to help solve them. Addressing the “SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE” of an institution results in creating welcoming spaces and streamlined opportunities for students to connect with other students any time of the day or night. David Porter’s vision of improving academic outcomes through an institution’s dining program is non-traditional and extremely effective.”
Jane Grant-Shambaugh, Retired Director of Auxiliary Services
"As a retired Dining Service Administrator, I have experienced many shifts in the way our Dining Services provides nutritious meals and social gathering for our students on campus. Concordia College continues to believe that community connectedness is critical in the overall educational experience. With a spotlight on the pressing issue of loneliness among youth, the documentary doesn’t just identify the problem but ingeniously provides a pragmatic solution through the innovative concept of SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE™️"
Dr. Chris Thomas, Vice President
"Students coming together, and breaking bread is an ancient human experience and yet in modern times it is a human ritual we have lost. David and his amazing team help to remind us of the importance of this central act of our humanity and how vital it is to our shared human spirit. Their work will help higher education regain this art of connecting and relationship building which our twenty-first century students so desperately crave."
Dean Wright, Director of Dining Services
"The epidemic of loneliness on our campuses is unprecedented. It affects all aspects of a student's life. If not addressed, the feelings of isolation and fear of connecting will have a major impact on the next generation. This short documentary defines the problem and presents the picture of the future. As one who is currently working in Student Life, nothing could have a more profound impact on your campus than watching "Social Architecture™️." It's all about connections."
Ginny Dunleavy, Executive Director, Auxiliary Services
"SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE™: The Missing Ingredient captures the value that providing thoughtful and intentional hospitality in dining venues provides. It highlights dining as a hub for building community, relationships, and connections to each other and the campus."
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Lucy Burke, Director of Procurement and Administrative Services
"In just nine minutes, this mini-documentary intricately weaves testimonials and evidence-based approaches, presenting an irrefutable case for the transformative power of socially focused dining programs in higher education."
Orley Wainberg, Assistant Vice President for Business Affairs
"SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE™: The Missing Ingredient is a wake-up call to the educational community. It brilliantly showcases how dining spaces can be transformative hubs for not only nourishing the body, but also the soul and mind of every student."
Mary Molt, PhD, Associate Director
"Campus Dining provides nourishment certainly but is equally important to student success both inside and outside the classroom. ‘SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE - The Missing Ingredient’, a short yet impactful documentary, describes how dining is a catalyst for community building, intellectual growth, and emotional development. A must listen."
Mark Kraner, Retired, Assistant Vice President for University Services
"A harmonious blend of heartfelt testimonials and empirical evidence, 'SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE™: The Missing Ingredient' is a rallying cry for reimagining spaces that feed both the body and soul of the campus community."
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Warren Bulseco, Senior Vice President
"SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE™: The Missing Ingredient aligns with creating purposeful and meaningful spaces for students to engage, connect and make friends. I hope David’s message continues to be shared, so we can all work together towards ‘shifting’ campus environs in the right direction. A direction that prioritizes students well-being.”
R. Dale Harvey, Jr., Associate Principal
"In my over 30 years of Higher Education work, having seen many changes on campuses, none are as compelling, important, transformational and yet so basic, as providing the space for, the taste of, and the time to enjoy the social benefits surrounding food. David Porter has found the “secret sauce”! 'SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE™: The Missing Ingredient' is brilliant!”
