Napoleon said an army moves on its stomach, acknowledging the importance of the culinary arts in the success or failure of military strategy. Likewise, one could say that the quality of a university's dining service is an important component in its overall educational mission, said Jon Lewis, Ball State's newly hired director of Residence Halls Dining Service (RHDS).   

"When dining service provides the university community with the highest quality food products and excellent service, the university community is able to focus more attention on the business of learning," he said.  

Lewis, who begins his position in January, comes to Ball State from Iowa State University, where he served as the director of the dining department.

"We're incredibly fortunate to get someone of Jon's caliber," said Norm Beck, executive director of auxiliary services and head of the search committee who hired Lewis. "Iowa State's operation is somewhat bigger than what we have here. Jon has experience with things we are anticipating, such as the entertainment suites we will be constructing in the new stadium."

Returning the compliment, Lewis said it was Ball State's reputation that drew him to the position in Muncie.

"Ball State has a national reputation for quality," Lewis said. "It's quite advanced. Anne Talley has built a great program and kept it on the cutting edge."

Beck said Talley's business expertise is vital for RHDS at a time when many colleges and universities have been forced to outsource on-campus food service operations.

Talley, who will retire in June, has been at Ball State for more than 40 years. She began her Ball State career as a food production manager in 1964, serving as a unit manager before being named RHDS director. In an interesting turn of events, Beck also named Talley dining service director in 1982.

Lewis, a Purdue University graduate with a degree in restaurant, hotel and institutional management, notes that taking the position at Ball State is something of a homecoming for him.

"I went to high school in South Bend," he said. "I'm looking forward to spending more time with my family, most of whom live in Indiana and Michigan."

Since leaving Indiana, Lewis has lived on both coasts, taking jobs from Maine to California. The cultural diversity of those experiences, as well as his travels as president of the National Association of College and University Food Service, has influenced his culinary style.

"Spending time on the coasts gave me an appreciation of the food preparation methods and service styles from the west coast to the seafood cuisine of the east coast," he said. "I plan on incorporating those experiences at Ball State to help keep the program moving forward."

Beck said Lewis will partner with Talley during a six-month transition period until her retirement.

"If I've had any successes while I've been at Ball State, this will certainly be one of them," Beck said. "This transition should be seamless, virtually transparent. And it should guarantee our continued success and growth."

(Note to editors: For more information, contact Lewis at jlewis@iastate.edu or (515) 294-7578 or Beck at (765) 285-1133 or nbeck@bsu.edu. For a print-quality photograph of Lewis, visit www.bsu.edu/photoservices  and click on "News.")