Aramark Collegiate Hospitality Builds Strong Momentum with Five New Partnerships

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 2, 2026--

Aramark was recently awarded five new partnerships with colleges and universities across the country: Bridgewater College (VA), Dallas Baptist University (TX), the University of Detroit Mercy (MI), New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech), and Randolph-Macon College (VA).

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“We are proud to partner with such a diverse group of colleges and universities,” said Barbara Flanagan, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality President and CEO. “As we grow, we are committed to working alongside our campus partners to create programs that reflect their unique identities while supporting student success and long-term institutional goals.”

Bridgewater College (Bridgewater, VA)

At Bridgewater College, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality is launching BC Dining, a new dining program designed to elevate the campus food and hospitality experience. The heart of the program is The Gathering Place at The K, a dining destination offering options throughout the day, including late-night service, and made-from-scratch menus.

The concept features fresh, high-quality, locally inspired food, expanded accommodation for diverse dietary needs, and innovative technology. In addition to residential dining enhancements, BC Dining also offers new retail experiences: Smitty's Café, an updated campus spirit store, and 1880 Catering, a full-service program for meetings, celebrations, and special events on campus.

Dallas Baptist University (Dallas, TX)

At Dallas Baptist University, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality is delivering a hospitality-driven dining program rooted in fellowship, community, and the university’s Christ-centered mission. The program is informed through technology-enabled insights that drive program innovation and student satisfaction.

Performance-focused nutrition programs will support DBU Athletics and student-athlete success. Signature community-building initiatives, such as a monthly Community Devotional and Ice Cream Social, are designed to bring students, faculty, and staff together for worship, fellowship, and spiritual encouragement.

University of Detroit Mercy (Detroit, MI)

At the University of Detroit Mercy, a current Aramark Facilities Management Services client, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality is implementing a program called Titan Hospitality, a fully integrated hospitality model that brings together dining, wellness, and facilities into a unified ecosystem. The program focuses on holistic student support, including inclusive dining options, food security initiatives, and community engagement. Technology-driven tools, such as Aramark Collegiate Hospitality’s proprietary platform CampusPulse and the Eat to Excel® performance nutrition program, will enhance both student life and athletics.

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (Socorro, NM)

In the Southwest at New Mexico Tech, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality will roll out NMT Hospitality, a program designed to reflect campus identity while advancing access and affordability. A major renovation of the Fidel Center on campus will see the installation of The Gathering Place, featuring chef-driven menus and regional specialties, including New Mexico favorites like Hatch chiles. Retail dining will be reimagined through The Drop, a multi-brand concept offering convenience and mobile ordering, alongside expanded catering, and sustainability initiatives.

Randolph-Macon College (Ashland, VA)

At Randolph-Macon College, Aramark is introducing RMC Dining featuring the signature Yellow Apron Program, which empowers team members to connect with students and gather real-time feedback. RMC Dining brings refreshed retail experiences at Birdsong Café, serving burgers, chicken, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and breakfast offerings, as well as Macon Coffee Co., featuring coffee, teas, refreshers, and grab-and-go selections.

Students will experience expanded made-to-order dining options in Estes Dining Hall, including a True Balance station for guests with food allergies, as well as enhanced technology solutions, including mobile ordering, making it easier to order ahead and save time. RMC Dining also offers vending and convenience market options, as well as a catering program to provide full-service support for meetings, celebrations, and campus events.

About Aramark Collegiate Hospitality

Aramark Collegiate Hospitality —where futures are better served—has been a trusted dining partner to higher education institutions for over 50 years. Serving approximately 300 colleges and universities nationwide, Aramark delivers customized dining and hospitality programs that reflect the unique culture and needs of each campus. Rooted in a deep commitment to service for people, partners, the community, and the planet, Aramark goes beyond meals by curating tailored experiences, supporting success, and cultivating communities. Connect with Collegiate Hospitality on LinkedIn.

About Aramark

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) proudly serves the world’s leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, prominent healthcare providers, iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous municipalities in 16 countries around the world with food and facilities management. Because of our hospitality culture, our employees strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and the planet. Learn more at www.aramark.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Aramark Collegiate Hospitality Builds Strong Momentum with Five New Partnerships

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Tourists previously reported missing in Nepal have made contact with authorities, officials said Wednesday, as families of locals still unaccounted for after last week's catastrophic floods held symbolic funerals for their loved ones.

Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said 324 foreign nationals have been rescued, while another 590 from 39 countries remain missing following the Aug. 26 floods that killed at least 1,118 people and left more than 3,900 missing.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday that the number of Australians missing in the disaster had fallen from 43 to 38 after five were confirmed safe overnight.

“Amidst all of this tragedy, we are seeing some positive news. Today, another five Australians have been confirmed safe,” Albanese told reporters in Palau, where he is attending a regional summit.

“We hope, of course, for positive news further, and we’re doing everything we can to work with authorities,” Albanese added.

Sunil Sharma, a spokesperson for the Nepal Tourism Board, said at least five other tourists who were previously reported missing had contacted authorities by email or telephone in recent days.

It is thought the disaster happened when a glacial collapse in the Himalayas sent rock, ice and meltwater into valleys below, triggering powerful floods downstream. The surge entered rivers flowing through Tibet and Nepal, causing them to rise rapidly. Floodwaters swept away homes, buildings, roads and bridges, carrying mud and rocks downstream.

Some families in Nuwakot, one of Nepal's worst-affected districts, have held symbolic funerals for relatives still missing, hoping to free their souls after they were presumed dead.

In Hindu tradition, cremation is an important final rite, and for some families, performing the ceremony even without the bodies of their loved ones provides a sense of spiritual release.

Mukunda Rijal said his cousins and their daughters had not been found, prompting the family to perform a symbolic funeral for them.

Along the banks of the Trishuli River, a priest placed straw effigies representing the missing family members and covered them with small piles of wood before setting them alight. The symbolic funeral pyres were surrounded by offerings to Hindu deities as relatives gathered to perform the final rites.

Authorities in Nepal have also been burying recovered bodies in temporary graves until they can be identified. They are preserving DNA samples, photographing distinguishing facial features and recording other identifying details to help match the remains with missing people and eventually return them to their families.

On the Chinese side, rescue crews completed a makeshift road to the disaster site at Gyirong Port on the Nepal border, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday.

Crews have been clearing access for heavy machinery to be used in the search at the border crossing complex, which was washed away by the floods. The road leading to the crossing was destroyed and buried under water, mud and rocks.

China has officially reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing as of Sunday.

Some flood survivors are fleeing the devastation to seek shelter in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.

Around 400 survivors, mostly from the town of Timure, about 110 kilometers (65 miles) west of Kathmandu, have been staying at the Yellow Gumba monastery. The shelter is being organized by locals and relatives, with relief supplies donated by individuals and charity organizations.

Riya Tamang, 21, who fled with her 10-month-old baby as the floodwaters approached, is among those taking shelter at the monastery. She lost her grandparents in the disaster.

“I was the last one to leave the house. It was so difficult to escape,” she said.

Her husband, who works as a cook in Gyirong town on the Chinese side of the border, also survived, and the couple now stays in touch through video calls.

Associated Press journalists Yasin Dar in Nuwakot, Nepal, Rod McGuirk in Melbourne and Huizhong Wu in Bangkok contributed to this report.

A resident salvages usable material from his house damaged by flash flooding at 1 Number Pul, in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

A Nepalese military officer counts bodies recovered in the aftermath of flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Rescuers inspect a residential building damaged in the aftermath of the flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Nepal's army personnel carry a victim from the flash floods in a body bag at a helipad in an army camp in Nuwakot district, Nepal, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Nepal police personnel prepare the bodies of flash flood victims for a mass burial in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)