Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) President Elmira Mangum’s “Dining with Dignitaries” initiative got off to a rousing start during the launch event on Monday, November 9. The University-wide program is designed to provide FAMU students with an opportunity to gain experience in attending a formal dinner alongside industry professionals before they enter the workforce.
Students gathered in FAMU’s Grand Ballroom where they were served a five-course meal and attended a formal reception. The progressive dining format allowed students to network with multiple dignitaries and professionals throughout the evening. After two courses, each dignitary or corporate representative rotated to a new table to interact with another small group of students.
The program opened with Mangum emphasizing the importance of networking for students. She explained that the “Dining with Dignitaries” initiative is designed to equip participants with fine-dining etiquette training and serves as a relationship-building tool for students who are seeking internships and job opportunities.
“I want you all to be comfortable in the boardroom setting and the business dinner setting before you go out on internships and start your careers. You will need to know what is appropriate conversation and behavior while you’re on the job,” Mangum said.
The dignitaries and community representatives who were in attendance at the inaugural “Dining with Dignitaries” dinner included FAMU Board of Trustees member Kimberly Moore, vice president for workforce development at Tallahassee Community College (TCC); John M. Crossman, president of the Crossman and Company real estate firm; Lenora P. Gant, Ph.D., senior executive at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA); Andrew M. Collins, counsel at theGroup-DC; Albert Lee, president of the Tampa Bay Black Business Investment Corporation; Thomas H. Poole Jr., senior pastor of Grace AME Church of the Villages; Robin J. Poole, associate pastor and director of Grace AME Home Health Care; Lt. Col. Edwin Escobar, military professor; Kristie Escobar, academic program specialist at Florida State University (FSU); and Daniel E. Pombo, Trent Patterson, and Kellen Wilkins of J.P. Morgan.
Lester Morales, a senior business administration student from Tampa, Fla., said he hopes that the “Dining with Dignitaries” program continues to grow because it provides a unique immersion experience that students would not get by simply taking an etiquette class.
“I really enjoyed it,” Morales said. “I’ve taken etiquette classes before, but this one was different because there was actually a professional present and we got to observe how they do things.”
Morales explained that being a student in the School of Business and Industry, which has hosted similar programs, has prepared him for networking with professionals. He said that “Dining with Dignitaries” added to his training by allowing him to hone his business conversation skills while exposing him to a completely different side of the professional world—the business dinner.
“From this opportunity, I was able to not only learn about the individual companies that the dignitaries represented but also how to carry myself by observing their behavior and etiquette,” Morales said.
Photos: President Mangum and Trustee Moore dine with students.
