Final decisions to name a new director and place all campus dining services under one management were announced this week.

Jon Lewis, executive director of student auxiliary services at the University of Maine-Orono, has been appointed as the new director of Dining Services. He will begin July 1.

Also, a decision was finalized Friday that all campus dining services will be managed by the Department of Residence, said Tom Hill, vice president for student affairs. Other options included merging Memorial Union food service, residence dining and all other vendors and catering on campus.

He said he hopes it will better serve the university community and offer students “portability” on campus. “It’s a more efficient operation . consolidated food services will better serve students, faculty and staff,” Hill said.

Director of the Department of Residence Randy Alexander said the new hierarchy will provide great benefits for anyone who eats on campus.

“A meal card will be used for any venue on campus and any future locations that are added,” he said.

Alexander said he hopes most changes will be available by next fall.

Teresa Branch, associate vice president for student affairs, said there are many things that need to happen to provide more accessibility.

“We have been considering that the Memorial Union and Department of Residence have different operating systems and different hours now, and how we are going to change that will make this merger successful.”

The Memorial Union has a separate board and is not operated under university management. However, Memorial Union workers will come under university employment after the dining services consolidate. Also, all dining service offices will now report to Alexander.

Alexander said the change in management was in the works when Lewis was being interviewed, and that it will widen the scope of responsibility for both him and Lewis.

Lewis is filling a position vacated by Stewart Burger, now coordinator of special events for the president’s office.

“When Stewart was in charge of it, he was in charge of residence hall dining, and that was about 75 percent of campus dining,” Alexander said. Lewis will now supervise food operations in the Memorial Union services as well.

Alexander said the choice wasn’t easy for the 12-member search committee, but that experience was the deciding factor.

What gave Lewis the edge was about 20 years of experience in charge of self-operated university food systems, as well as being the president of the National Association of College and University Food Service.