With the cost of putting someone through any college so high, thoughts about giving to the institution are rare in the minds of many parents. Not so with Fred Sargent of Pittsburgh.

While his son Evan, a senior in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, has attended classes and studied abroad, Fred Sargent has continued to support UD financially.

"It is fair to say that even if you're paying full tuition," Sargent said, "that doesn't account for the full cost of the education." A 1966 graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., Sargent places a high value on education, even though his own undergraduate major in English might not seem directly linked to his work in the electrical contracting industry. "My college degree is perfect for what I do," he said jokingly. "I spend my days translating English between engineers and electricians!"

Sargent has designated part of his contribution to the Paul Wise Executive-in-Residence Fund in the department. The fund sponsors an on-campus program–including lectures, workshops, consultation and advisement sessions with HRIM faculty and staff–by a recognized leader who personifies current best practice in hospitality management. The fund is named after Wise, who came to UD in 1988 as founding director of the HRIM program after a career in which he was in charge of the operation of 670 U.S. Army clubs and hotels.

A regular donor to the University and a member of the Delaware Diamonds Society, Sargent is a third-generation member of his family to work at Pittsburgh-based Sargent Electric Co. Founded by his grandfather in 1907, the electrical contracting business has grown to more than 1,000 employees and operates in several states, making it one of the largest companies of its kind in the country.

Evan, however, plans on a career quite apart from the family business. "I have wanted to be a cook since I was 5," he said. Evan recently completed UD's Summer Session at the Swiss School of Hotel and Tourism Management near the "holiday corner" of Switzerland close to Austria, Germany, Italy and Liechtenstein.

"The opportunity to study in Switzerland was very educational and a lot of fun," Evan said, noting that it gave him an opportunity to concentrate on pastry preparation, one of his areas of keen interest. Ultimately, he hopes to specialize in pastry or become an executive chef.