SWOPE NAMED OUTSTANDING PART-TIME FACULTY MEMBER AT ACM
CUMBERLAND, Md. (Aug. 31, 2022) – Debra Swope, Program Director of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts at Allegany College of Maryland, received the Part-Time Faculty of the Year Award during ACM’s 2022 awards presentation.
Swope has been employed at ACM since 1997 where she began as a part-time administrative assistant. In 2002, she became a full-time office manager for the Departments of Business and Culinary. Swope was named the Director of Operations in Culinary Arts in 2015 and was promoted to Program Director in 2022. She began her part-time teaching career in 2007 instructing students in Hospitality, Baking, and Nutrition. She recently became a full-time instructor.
Swope has been recognized for her personalized attention and “one-on-one guidance” to her students in her Baking labs. Under her direction, the program now offers wholesale baked goods, giving her students the opportunity to share their creations with the community. Swope often starts her days pre-dawn to prepare the kitchens for student production and willingly volunteers for evening and weekend responsibilities. She has also started the process of seeking accreditation for ACM’s Culinary Arts program.
An active member of the campus, Swope serves on multiple committees. In her nomination letter, she was noted for her willingness to take on “new challenges with an eye toward opportunity and how those challenges could improve student retention and/or customer service.”
For more information on ACM’s School of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts and The Culinaire Café, visit allegany.edu/school-of-hospitality-culinary/.
