University of Lynchburg Dining Services has been honored by the National Association of College & University Food Services with a silver award for Residential Dining Facility of the Year.

The award, one of the organization’s 2024 Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards, “celebrates exemplary menus, presentations, special event planning, and new dining concepts” and the “innovative ideas and successful implementation of these programs.”

Winners will be formally recognized on Saturday, July 20, at the NACUFS national conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

“Considering that the NACUFS represents a majority of college and university food service programs, it’s a big deal when you can rank amongst your peers by showcasing one of your operations,” said Shaun Dearden, co-director and operations manager of dining services.

“Our team has a lot of passion for food and our students and it shows. I’m proud that they have been recognized for their efforts.”

In preparing Lynchburg’s entry, Dearden relied heavily on the dining services student marketing team, led by art major Riley Winefordner ’25. “They handle all the marketing efforts for dining services — digital content, social media, flyers, you name it,” Dearden said.

Institutions are scored on menu, food safety, visual appeal, sustainability initiatives, and other areas. In past years, Lynchburg has won gold, silver, and bronze NACUFS awards in various categories. This is the first time Lynchburg has entered the contest in a few years.

“We just entered Burton Dining Hall this year, but resident dining programs are typically the largest operations on a campus,” Dearden said. “This was the first entry since the pandemic so it’s great to win an award.

“It represents all the hard work done by your supervisors, staff, and student employees throughout the whole year. It’s definitely a team effort.”