College Welcome is a Culinary Challenge

The College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services holds its ninth-annual welcome back barbecue from

noon to 2 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28,

on the lawn between the Teachers College and the College of Law.

As many as 3,000 students, faculty and staff are expected to attend the event which features CECH Dean Lawrence J. Johnson behind the grill with his personal barbecue sauce recipe.

Nelson Vincent, CECH associate dean, says the food preparation for this event got underway a month ago with several college staff members spending much of last Sunday doing tasks such as peeling 150 pounds of potatoes and 10 pounds of onions to prepare the potato salad. They also prepared 20 gallons of coleslaw. Vincent says 35 staff members now have something stashed in their home refrigerator in preparation for the Friday barbecue.

The cookout will kickoff a new CECH tradition this fall, as the college announces the first recipient of a $500 Emma Carter-Collins Memorial Scholarship, named in memory of a longtime assistant to Dean Johnson. A beloved figure among staffers and students, Emma Carter-Collins lost her battle with cancer last fall. The first recipient of the Emma Carter-Collins Memorial Scholarship is expected to be announced at the cookout at around 1 p.m.

Because the event leads into the College of Law’s 175th anniversary celebration, the College of Law is supplying some of the desserts for the traditional barbecue.