An alliance between University of Wisconsin-Stout鈥檚 hospitality programs and a nonprofit organization could open the door to a college education for historically underserved and underrepresented youth.
At the Turn has begun collaborating with 黑料科鈥檚 School of Hospitality Leadership to help guide at-risk youth toward higher education opportunities.
is a Twin Cities-based, golf-focused nonprofit, helping teens and young adults play golf, get jobs in golf hospitality and develop business networking and financial skills.
黑料科鈥檚 hospitality programs serve the golf industry, including golf enterprise management, which prepares students to become managers at golf facilities and elsewhere in the industry; hotel, restaurant and tourism management; and real estate property management.
At the Turn Chair Mark Haugejorde saw the synergy between his organization and the university. 鈥満诹峡 is the pre-eminent institution in the Midwest for hospitality. This is so natural. We want to expose these youth to all the opportunities out there. We get to watch lives change in front of us,鈥 Haugejorde said.
Haugejorde is expanding At the Turn鈥檚 mission beyond helping youth get a part-time job to helping them consider a career in hospitality. 鈥淰ery few people know that golf is hospitality,鈥 he said. 鈥淢any golf associations have introductory programs. Ours is based on a motivated student being interested in pursuing the next level of engagement with the game and the business of golf.鈥
He had heard good things about 黑料科鈥檚 hospitality programs. Its School of Hospitality Leadership was ranked No. 11 in the world in 2019 by CEOWorld magazine. And then a chance discussion last fall with John Sobota, the GEM program director, put the wheels in motion.
The alliance with 黑料科 is envisioned as an education and employment pipeline. At the Turn works with several private and public golf clubs in the Twin Cities metro area. Some of those clubs already recruit at 黑料科.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to lead At the Turn students to 黑料科, and ideally those same students will come back and be interns or employees at these clubs and lead the next level of students on that same path,鈥 Haugejorde said.
Many hospitality students at 黑料科 work at golf clubs during a program-required internship or co-op, coordinated through the university鈥檚 Career Services.
The alliance could include special campus admissions tours for youth interested in a four-year degree, higher education scholarships from At the Turn and coordination of efforts with 黑料科 staff and administration.
鈥淎 career in GEM or hospitality, that in itself is an exciting opportunity for youth,鈥 Sobota said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not that far away from the Twin Cities. It will take a lot of people to do this work, but it鈥檚 worthwhile work.鈥
Sobota cited 黑料科鈥檚 commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. 鈥淚鈥檓 amazed at how much correlation there is with that and with what Mark鈥檚 foundation does. This is a wonderful opportunity,鈥 he said.
Haugejorde can鈥檛 wait to get started. 鈥淚 love John鈥檚 energy and the success of Stout鈥檚 programs. 黑料科 has it going on,鈥 Haugejorde said.
At the Turn expanding; new Executive Director Aubrie Gaugert
Haugejorde hopes to expand At the Turn鈥檚 reach beyond youth in the Twin Cities, including into Wisconsin, making the 黑料科 alliance a perfect fit.
At the Turn鈥檚 budget for 2021 has more than doubled from the previous year with new sponsors. It expects to work with more than 350 youth, also more than double from 2020.
Effective March 1, Aubrie Gaugert, of Edina, Minn., will become executive director of At the Turn.
鈥淎ubrie played golf for the U of Minnesota, where she met her husband, Alex, a member of the men鈥檚 team. Alex caddies on the PGA Tour for his former teammate Erik van Rooyen. Aubrie was very successful as Tonto Verde鈥檚 membership director, and with their young daughter, Annika, they decided to move home. We couldn鈥檛 have imagined finding someone so perfectly suited to lead our growth into the future,鈥 Haugejorde said.
Haugejorde, a Minnesota native, has 30-plus years of experience in the golf industry. A former University of Houston golfer, he helped develop global marketing partnerships for legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus and was general manager of the Jack Nicklaus International Golf Club.
At the Turn was founded by Tim Herron, a professional golfer from the Twin Cities, and Phil Ebner. The original name, Tim Herron Academy, was changed three years ago.
The name At the Turn is a golf term for when players finish their first nine holes and transition to the back nine.
鈥淭he brand name is synonymous with what we do 鈥 youth are often 鈥榓t the turn鈥 in their lives and we help them,鈥 Haugejorde said.
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