Currently: 64°F
A new café has arrived on campus. The student-designed Evergreen Café opened in Gordinier Hall to serve the Millersville community. A grand opening on Aug. 31 was held for the newest addition to campus.
The Evergreen Cafe has presented various learning opportunities to students. Not only is it an experiential learning opportunity as it operates completely under student supervision, but a student competition was also held to reimagine the previous Ville Perk Café into the new Evergreen Café.
Dr. Marc Tomljanovich, dean of the Lombardo College of Business, says student involvement in the café was a central aspect when designing and managing it. “It’s essential to have a campus space that is both designed by students and run by students. We want to instill a sense of ownership and involvement amongst our students.”
The new student manager, Jennifer Dohalick, is grateful to have the opportunity to manage the café. “This opportunity means a lot to me because
Dohalick feels prepared to run Evergreen Café due to her previous experience as a leader. “Being one of the leaders of the women’s track and field team here at MU has prepared me on how to lead a team, handle stressful situations gracefully and how to juggle being a friend while also being a leader.” She worked all summer to help get the cafe ready to open at the start of the fall semester, and now oversees the day-to-day operations of the cafe, which include the hiring and supervision of student workers, keeping track of inventories and ordering supplies, and ensuring customer satisfaction.
Not only will the café engage students outside class, but it will also be integrated into the classroom. “On the academic front, we are planning to link the café to specific programs, including the entrepreneurship minor and several new business initiatives we are developing,” says Tomljanovich. The Evergreen Café will also be included in our new hospitality management course throughout various assignments.
The Evergreen Café is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
