School of Hospitality Management Monthly Update: December 2006

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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New York, New York...

As the saying goes...."and, a good time was had by all."

Hundreds represented Penn State at the annual International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show in New York City. Highlights from the trip include: gala at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers , reception and awards presentations at the Waldorf=Astoria, a busy booth, and networking.

This year the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society honored Richard J. Schnieders, chairman, chief executive officer and president of SYSCO Corporation as the Hospitality Executive of the Year.

PSHRS Alumni Awards honorees for this year also include:

Alumnus of the Year
Mr. Joseph R. McCann, '78
President
Optimum Hotel Brokerage

Emerging Professionals ˆ Undergraduate Degree
Ms. Amber Hartman, '04
General Manager
Bandera American Cooking
Hillstone Restaurant Group

Mr. Julius N. Ridgley, '03
General Manager
Eat'n Park Restaurants
Eat'n Park Hospitality Group

Mr. Leon E. Rimmey, '02
Sports Sales Manager
Greensboro-High Point Airport Marriott
Marriott International

Mr. Jamie P. Moore, '96
Director of Food and Beverage
Eat‚n Park Hospitality Group

Emerging Professional ˆ Graduate Degree
Ki-Joon Back, Ph.D, '01
Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management

PSHRS Outstanding Senior in Hospitality Management
Mr. Brandon L. Stiver, May 2007

Thank you to everyone for your effort and expertise in furthering the success of Penn State's Hotel and Restaurant Society.

See Photos of the New York event

Cafe Laura Theme Dinners: "Hot Stuff"

Cafe Laura was featured in two very nice articles recently. Penn State's Public Information covered the preparation and execution of a Theme Dinner with beautiful photos, quotes, and captions. The second feature article appeared in the Centre Daily Times Weekend Section.

Partnership to Customize Education to Healthcare Foodservice Operators

A recent alliance between National Society for Healthcare Foodservice Management (HFM) and Penn State's School of Hospitality Management entered into a three-year partnership to further managers' skills and knowledge in advanced management of hospital operations.

The organizations will work together over several months to conduct an environmental scan of the healthcare and foodservice industries, identifying the most topical issues and critical matters facing operators and administrators today. Based on the study's findings, Penn State will work with HFM to develop an education strategic plan identifying a series of Webinars and Learning Symposiums for the association's members.

"This is a very exciting time for us at HFM," said Linda Lafferty, HFM board president and associate director of food and nutrition services at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "We are thrilled to be partnering with one of the top research institutions in the country to offer our members continuing education in hospitality management and leadership training in the future. Our members will have a tremendous educational resource available to them," Lafferty added.

By aligning itself with the Hospitality Leadership Institute at Penn State as well as Penn State's Management Development Programs and Services, HFM will offer operators the chance to maximize their career development by further enriching their education in an academic setting.

Martha Conklin, PhD, RD, LDN, the associate professor at the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State who will serve as the HFM Education Director, said she was excited about the partnership and looked forward to working with HFM members.

"The types of professional development activities Penn State's Hospitality Leadership Institute can bring to HFM members are numerous. The HFM Learning Symposium [check what this is being called, but institute is not in the title] at Penn State University is a wonderful opportunity for current and future leaders to be groomed for strategic positions in the healthcare foodservice profession," Conklin said.

Live interactive Web-based seminars, called Webinars, will target the latest in operational efficiencies, customer satisfaction strategies, best practices for contingency planning, and more.

HFM will also host a number of two and three-day Learning Symposiums–Is the plural symposia–filled with educational programs, guest speakers and resources on the latest industry trends for HFM members.

Penn State University faculty will also help in recommending educational topics for four interactive teleconferences, networking meetings, support operational tool advancement and identify speakers for HFM's annual Conferences.

The educational programming will be driven by a diverse group of faculty leaders with more than 10 years of industry experience from the Penn State School of Hospitality Management.

Students enjoy Yuengling visit

Dick Yuengling, Jr., President and CEO of D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. visited the School of Hospitality Management in early November. "America's Oldest Brewery" is a regional brewery located in Pottsville, PA. It was founded in 1829, and celebrated its 175th Anniversary in 2004.

More recently, Yuengling won the Hot Brand Award for four consecutive years, and the Traditional Lager brand was ranked the #1 Power Brand by Information Resources, Inc. in 2004. In 2005, the lager received the 2005 Growth Brand Award from Cheers magazine.

Welcome

A warm welcome to Carol Little who recently joined the team of administrative staff assistants in the finance area.

And the winner is...

Anna Mattila, associate professor in the School of Hospitality Management and Professor-in-Charge of Graduate Students was notified that she is the recipient of the 2007 Michael Olsen Research Award from the University of Delaware. She will receive the award at the Graduate Student Conference in Houston in January.

Undergraduates present at research conference

Two undergraduate students, Amanda Lang and Stephanie Bragg were selected to present their research papers at the Undergraduate Research Conference in New York. Both students are members of the School of Hospitality Management and the Schreyer Honors College.  Dave Cranage spearheaded the effort for undergraduates to submit their work; two of the six presentations were undergraduates from Penn State's School of Hospitality Management.

Alumni in the News

FelCor Lodging Trust Incorporated, one of the nation's largest hotel real estate investment trusts, announced the appointment of Robert P. Carl as Senior Vice President, Director of Design and construction. Prior to joining FelCor, Carl was vice President of Purchasing and Project Management for Remington Hotel Corporation, after working in other positions with the company.

Monthly Update Archive

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