School of Hospitality Management Monthly Update: October 2007

This Monthly Update from the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State serves to keep you informed and interested in the news as it happens - for alumni, industry, faculty & students.

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2007 Walter J. Conti Professor of Hospitality Management

Hasmukh P. (HP) Rama, chairman of the boards and CEO of JHM Hotels, has accepted the 2007 Walter J. Conti Professor of Hospitality Management in the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State.

image of HP Rama

Mr. Rama visited the School on Wednesday, October 17th and Thursday, October 18th, 2007 to wmeet with faculty and students.

Walter J. Conti, for whom the professorship is named, is a well-known restaurateur and industry leader from Doylestown. He is the retired owner and CEO of Conti's Cross Keys Inn and Conti's Pipersville Inn, both located in Bucks County. Conti has held various leadership positions in the National Restaurant Association, including a term as chairman (1981-82), and he is a Diplomate of the association's educational foundation.

Rama is the founder of JHM Hotels, Inc. based in Greenville, South Carolina. The company owns and operates thirty-one premier-brand, franchised hotels in nine eastern states and another five-star hotel in Surat, India. JHM Hotels, Inc. employs over 1,500 associates.

H.P., as he is affectionately known, is a Past Chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), where he established the Rama Scholarship for the American Dream. To date, the scholarship has provided funding for over 342 students attending seventeen universities to realize their educational goals.

Rama has received a long list of honors and awards including, perhaps the world's most prestigious business award, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (1996). This award honors entrepreneurial achievement and the men and women leading high-growth companies who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement.

Rama also received the AH&LA Cutting Edge Award (2002) in recognition of innovative leadership, and the AH&LA Arthur Langstreet Award for his contribution to education.

He is credited with founding the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) and serving as the association's first chairperson. AAHOA represents more than 8,000 members, and is one of the most powerful Asian American advocacy groups. Together the members own more than 22,000 hotels, which have 1 million rooms representing over 50 percent of the economy lodging properties and nearly 37 percent of all hotel properties in the United States.

Rama entered the hotel business in 1973 after receiving an MBA from Xavier University. He now concentrates on strategic development, finance and banking, design and operations. His brothers soon joined him to create a family business that has since grown to be among the top fifty hotel management companies in the world.

The Rama family's rich and varied experiences, dedication and hard work, commitment, and spiritual strength shaped their many accomplishments in hotel development and management. The result is a large and continuously growing, premier-brand, lodging company that provides financial strength and stability to its shareholders.

Exciting Things Are Happening

The School of Hospitality Management Hospitality Information Technology Advisory Board met at the University Park campus on September 26th and 27th.

One goal of the IT Committee is to encourage students and faculty to visit informally with noted industry experts, to meet and discuss the technology industry and careers as it applies to the applies to the hospitality management profession.

"Exciting things are happening in the school," said committee chair, Rob Grimes ('80, FS HA). "The board is pleased with the progress and actions, such as adding a required course in Hospitality Information Technology and the growth of the HRIM/IST minor."

Each year the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society and School (PSHRS) honors a Hospitality Executive of the Year. This year PSHRS selected Tom Giannopoulos, chariman, president, and CEO of MICROS. Giannopoulos will be honored during the Penn State celebrations during the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show on November 11 at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers.

A sub-committee was established to organize an Information Technology Colloquium for Fall 2008 to discuss emerging issues in hospitality information systems. The group is currently exploring opportunities to build various partnerships, and to attract faculty and industry spokespeople with relevant expertise.

Board members also spoke in three classes and met one-on-one with students and faculty.

image of tech board

Attendees included: Dom Boffa, CIO and VP Technology Solutions, ARAMARK; Paul Manley, Director, Loyalty Marketing, Wyndham Hotel Group; Mark Ozawa, President, Accuvia Corporation; Rob Grimes, Chairman and CEO, Accuvia Corporation; Ed Rothenberg, Vice-President, Restaurant Product Development, MICROS Corporation; Mark Scanlan, Industry Solution Specialist, Microsoft Hospitality Unit, Lodging, Gaming and Entertainment; Joel Weidner, Director Information Systems, Penn State Auxiliary and Business Services; Lawrence Hartman, Implementation Manager, MICROS Systems; Michael DiLeva, Executive Vice President, The IDT Group; J. Kerien Fitzpatrick, CTO and Co-Founder, HyperActive Technologies; Mark Hamilton, President, RealTime Data Solutions, LLC; Kevin O'Connell, Vice President Information Technology, Eat'n Park Hospitality Group; Arthur Paiva, Information Systems, US Army; Barbara Prutzman, former VP Technology Solutions.

Homecoming Fun

Just for fun, and, perhaps, a bit of recognition for being part of the greater whole. That is the reason six members of the School of Hospitality Management participated in the 2007 Homecoming Parade on October 12, 2007.

image of SHM staff on Conference Bike

The group, led by bicycle enthusiast Bob Swain, coursed their way through the parade route on bevy of unique bicycles. Swaim, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, and owner of the world's largest collection of bicycles, created a moment to remember.

"Bob Swaim and I met in the Post Office last year," said Vivienne Wildes, coordinator of the Homecoming Bike Ride. Swaim conducted a workshop on teamwork for Wildes' Human Resource class last spring. "He is the most tireless, exuberant person I've met in years and years," says Wildes. "He wants to turn the world on to the fun and carbon-free footprint of bike riding. What better place to incorporate this than within the hospitality industry?"

The small group of fourteen composed of an ad hoc group of alumni and students from across the University were the hit of the parade. The group consisted of Bob Swaim, Brenda Condo, Vivienne Wildes, Marja Verbeeten, David Van Hoof, Julie Anderson, Jordan Reed, Amanda Majewski, Joe Beddall, Megan Egan, Kyla Anderson and friend, Navarro Chamberlain, Dan Rivera, and an anonymous history major (1968).

The group received cheers from revelers as they spun circles on a conference bike built for seven around police stationed at street corners, handed out candy to the young and old alike from an ice cream bike graced with a Penn State flag, peddled clown tricycles in blue and white, and yelled cheers through an electronic megaphone wielded by Chamberlain (sophomore, IST). Crowds responded triumphantly, reacting to "We Are…PENN STATE!" over and over again. Administrative Assistant Brenda Condo was still looking for her voice at the start of business on Monday morning.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Chamberlain. "I loved helping the School of Hospitality, and would love to do this again!"

"I never laughed so much for so long," said Vivienne Wildes. "Next year we hope to have more people support this extraordinary opportunity to showcase the College of Health and Human Development and the School of Hospitality Management."

P.S.: President Graham Spanier and the Board of Trustees rode the same bikes into the stadium the next day to bring on Homecoming 2007. See their photos at: live.psu.edu/stilllife/1474

Alumni Wisdom, Experience Celebrated

Students in the School of Hospitality Management received a special teaching lesson in their classrooms. This program, jointly sponsored by the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society (PSHRS) and Penn State's School of Hospitality Management, took place from October 10-12 at University Park.

For three days, Penn State alumni returned for the second annual Alumni in the Classroom to teach classes and share their experiences.

image of Alumni In The Classroom event

"It was truly a pleasure to see the enthusiasm and drive coming from the HRIM students," said David Hoy, general manager of the new Parsippany Hampton Inn. "I will be back again next year!"

image of alumni speaking to class

Alumni in the Classroom is one of the many programs designed to keep the alumni involved throughout the year. Forty-one alumni returned for the event. The coordinators, Dr. Bart Bartlett and Rosemarie Hibbler, hope the numbers continue to grow every year.

"Alumni in the Classroom is a terrific opportunity, not only for current students to learn from alumni, but also for alumni to connect and re-connect with other alumni," said Bartlett. "I would like to see 100 alumni here for this event."

Veteran participant of Alumni in the Classroom, Bill Anstee ('88) of SodexhoUSA says how it's all about networking and understanding how to ask for assistance. "It was great to have the students ask questions about real life experiences and to share our stories with them."

Read the full Collegian article on this:

Alumni Recognition Awards

Because of the immense success of the 2006 Alumni in the Classroom, the school and the Penn State Hotel Restaurant Society decided it would be an appropriate time to also host the Alumni Recognition Awards. Traditionally held in New York City, the recognition ceremony moved, for the first time, to the Nittany Lion Inn.

"Bringing students, faculty, alumni and industry together for the awards reception in State College was everything we had hoped it would be," said Jim Purdum, general manager of Penn State Hospitality Services. "It spoke directly to the very purpose of The Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society. It was gratifying to be a part of such a meaningful and fun event and we're all looking forward to making this even bigger and better in the years to come!

image of alumni attending awards ceremony

Over 300 students turned out to see the awards ceremony and to mingle and network with prospective employers and mentors.

"Holding the event at University Park in conjunction with Alumni in the Classroom and Homecoming attracted more people than when we held it at the New York Hotel Show," Hibbler said. "The event generated some ideas for students about the possibilities and opportunities available to them after graduation. Also, they are inspired to strive for these awards."

Alumni recognized for their continued service to both Penn State and community-at-large for 2007 were:

Undergraduate

Graduate

Alumni of the Year

William R. Kidd ('87), Vice President of Design and Construction for Host Marriott

Kidd, who was also guest speaker at the May 2007 Recognition Ceremony for graduating seniors, paid tribute to his teachers and mentors over the years, particulary Bart Bartlett, Pete Yersin, Dave Cranage, and Dan Mount.

Happenings

Work-Life Balance

Dean Nan Crouter, Amy Snead and John O'Neill will be making a presentation entitled, "Work-Life Balance as a Strategic Advantage in the Hospitality Industry at the International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show on Sunday, November" 11 at 3 p.m. at the Jacob Javits Center in New York.

Hiring Right

John O'Donnell recently presented Hiring the Right People at an event sponsored by the law firm of Shumaker Williams, P.C., general counsel to the Pennsylvania Restaurant Assn. and the Pennsylvania Tourism & Lodging Association. The presentation included a discussion of how to incorporate strategic business objectives into the process of job design, recruiting, and selection of employees; and why elements of diversity and legal compliance make good business sense.

Sustainability

Bert Van Hoof attended the International and National Tourism and Hospitality Colloquium for key stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality sectors School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH) at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa for two days of cooperation and international exchanges. While there, he participated on a panel entitled "Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Manpower Requirements to Ensure Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality Development."

The Colloquium is aimed at forming and strengthening national and international partnerships for the tourism and hospitality industries and will address topics such as global tourism, trends, the impact of tourism development, opportunities for capital investment, leadership and entrepreneurship, manpower requirements within the industry and major sporting events, such as the Soccer World Cup 2010, which will impact South Africa's tourism.

For more information: staging.uj.ac.za/index.asp?page=article&code=7&id=1139

Food & Nutrition

Martha Conklin has a new contract with the Division of Food and Nutrition, Pennsylvania Department of Education to help revise its annual Child Nutrition Financial Report.

Revisions include the development of training materials and programs on financial management for directors of Pennsylvania's School Nutrition Programs (SNP). Following submission of the data using the new Child Nutrition Financial Report, Dr. Conklin will conduct a feasibility study to establish a financial benchmarks for SNP directors. The benchmarking system would supply statewide means and quartiles on financial parameters to be used by SNP directors to compare their program outcomes to similar nutrition programs in the state.

Researching the Daily Grind

Amit Sharma along with Dave Cranage (School of Hospitality), Melissa Hardy (HDFS), Jill Findeis and Cathy Bowen (College of Agricultural Sciences), and Frode Alfnes (Norwegian University of Life Sciences) received Silver Standard Resources, Inc.'s CYFC Level 2 funding for their project titled, "Efficiency of Self-Rationing and Implications for Young Families‚ Financial Well-Being."

The award amount is $18,070. This one-year long project will evaluate the self-rationing processes of young families of recurring, potentially daily expenditures and their implications on such families‚ financial well-being.

The research team also includes graduate and undergraduate students.

Alumni in the News

Megan Hoffricter ('98, MHRIM) recently started Eliza Jane, Inc., a combination boutique, spa and etiquette school, in downtown St. Charles, IL. The company caters to girls from 8 to 80. The Web site is: www.elizajanegirl.com. Also, congratulations to Megan, who is getting married this New Years Eve in downtown Pittsburgh at the Duquesne Club to Mario Hernandez.

Andrew Feinstein ('99, MER) has agreed to lead the Collins School of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona as its new dean, effective Dec. 4. Andy was formally a past chair of UNLV's Department of Food and Beverage Management and senior advisor to the president. For the press release: polycentric.csupomona.edu/news.asp?id=1741

Warm Welcome

Please extend a warm Penn State welcome to our two new students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Wai San "Cass" Shum and Chung Yan "Joyce" Chan. We hope they find Happy Valley a nice home away from home.

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Send us your news - we'll include it in the School of Hospitality Monthly Update. Contact Vivienne Wildes at vjw100@psu.edu