Jeff Igel

Chair, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Department,
Fox Valley Technical College
B.S. Hotel and Restaurant Management, '89
B.S. Vocational, Technical and Adult Education, '89
M.S. Vocational Education with emphasis in Hospitality Administration, '90

Currently and for the past 10 years I have served as the faculty chair of the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Department at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. I always liked to cook when I was younger, and my early aspirations included wanting to be a teacher. When I got my first job in a restaurant at the age of 17, I was hooked into the culinary profession and after more than 23 have essentially never left it. Ultimately everything came full circle when I pursued teaching culinary arts as a career.

My favorite part of the programs I took at UW-Stout was definitely the classes within the major. The faculty at UW-Stout is so phenomenal and in touch with the realities of what happens in the real world. They are synergistically focused on fundamentals while constantly maintaining the ability to be cutting edge. Although all students have their favorite instructors, I can honestly say that every faculty member at UW-Stout made a direct and lasting impact on my life.

The thing I found most challenging as a student is the same thing I find most challenging today and that is finding and maintaining a balance between work, family, friends and fun. It seems that our society continually increases the demands on ourselves and our schedules, and ultimately for each of us the key to our own happiness and success is finding the proper balance and harmony in our lives.

UW-Stout helped me to understand the things that were expected of me to be successful in my career. It was clear to me as a student how important credentials are as we seek to grow and progress in our careers. As I embarked on my career, I left Stout with the complete understanding of life-long learning and continue to challenge myself to pursue any industry and educational credential I can as long as it pushes me to learn, grow and improve.

If I were to give advice to a student considering a career in hotel and restaurant management, I would tell them that it is an industry that rewards those who work hard and work smart. If you want to get an average job with average pay and average perks, than just be average. If you want to have a career where advancement and opportunities are within your control, work hard to be the best that you can be. Set your priorities as you feel they should be set, and live your life in such a way that the people in your life that are important to you would be proud of you.