School of Hospitality Management Monthly Update: August 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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Silvi Scholarship Winners Announced

The Pennsylvania State University School of Hospitality Management has announced the winners of the Louis E. Silvi Scholarship for the 2007-2008 academic year. The winners of the scholarship are:

Megan Nicholas
Meghan Tierney
Erin Derr
Megan Best
Brianna Morgan
April Judy
Jamie Martinez
Elizabeth Biron

Louis E. Silvi served for 20 years, beginning in 1957, as general manager of the Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus, and was a well known figure in the community.

Upon his death, The Silvi Scholarship was established with a gift $1 million from the estate of Louis E. Silvi to provide financial support to undergraduates enrolled in the Penn State School of Hospitality Management. This year's award is worth $8,000 to individual students pursuing a career in hospitality.

The scholarship is the preeminent award for undergraduates in the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State University. Students who receive the scholarship are considered stellar in the areas of promise, leadership, and potential to succeed within the hospitality field. Students are expected to use the scholarship to alleviate the expenses associated with attending school at Penn State.

"Lou Silvi was a dedicated hotel professional and great friend of Penn State," says Bert Van Hoof, director of the Penn State School of Hotel, Restaurant and Recreation Management. "His extraordinary gift allows some of the best students in our program the support they deserve to succeed. Lou Silvi was a generous and giving person who trusted and believed in young people to continue his legacy in the hotel and restaurant industry."

Founded in 1937, the hotel, restaurant, and institutional management program is one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious hospitality education programs. The program takes a multidisciplinary approach to preparing students for careers in hotels, resorts, restaurants, health care and educational facilities, and all areas of tourism. Students learn the principles of finance, management and consulting, personnel, and marketing and gain hands-on experience with foodservice techniques, front desk operations, nutrition, and facilities management.

Diamonds are Forever

The night did shimmer and shine for Arun Upneja on July 27, 2007.
During the Denim and Diamonds Gala, in the Landmark Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Dallas, the International Council of Hotel Restaurant International Education (CHRIE) announced him the winner of the John Wiley & Sons Lifetime Research Achievement Award. Usually only one person gets this award each year.

"In my opinion, for an academic researcher, there is no bigger honor than to be recognized by your profession and your peers. I am truly honored and humbled to receive this award,” says Dr. Upneja.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an International CHRIE member for lifetime contributions to outstanding scholarship and research in hospitality and tourism. The award is given to an International CHRIE member who has made and continues to make significant contributions to the field of hospitality and tourism through scholarly research published in hospitality and non-hospitality journals over an extended period. It serves as a tribute to a distinguished individual who has demonstrated both leadership in a specialized field of study and high standards in the systematic and objective analyses of data that leads to a significant contribution to a body of knowledge. The award salutes a record of service as a mentor for several graduate students or untenured faculty members.

Upneja's established track record of scholarly work has established him as an individual erudite in the area of financial management in the hospitality industry. He has specifically published in the area of valuation and issues related to internationalization of hospitality firms.

image of Arun Upneja and fellow faculty members receiving award

Professor Upneja says that he draws a lot of strength from his children, Akhil and Ayush, who always do their best to please…. in whatever and everything they try to accomplish. "However, the biggest source of inspiration for me is my wife," says Dr. Upneja. "Anu constantly encourages me to do my best."

PE4LIFE Recruits Expert

Associate professor Martha Conklin was appointed by the American Dietetic Association Foundation and the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition Foundation to serve on a 12-person Nutrition Corps Task Force to design a nutrition education component to fitness programming delivered by PE4LIFE.

The program targets middle school students and will be tested this fall in public schools in Kansas City, MO. The objective is to teach nutrition concepts in conjunction with movement and fitness activities with the aim to help children achieve or maintain an ideal body weight.

Conklin was asked to serve based on her expertise in school nutrition management and knowledge of working with the school-aged population.

Students Learn to Shatter the Glass Ceiling

When the first Multicultural Tourism Summit was held in 1997 in Fort Lauderdale, African-Americans involved in the hotel business saw a need for an organization to represent their interests. Conference sessions and networking helped to focus attention on the many frustrations encountered by Blacks and other minorities who were involved in or trying to break into the business. After two years of preparation, a meeting was held at an African American owned hotel in Peachtree City, just outside of Atlanta and an organization was formalized to begin the process of breaking the glass ceiling.

Now a reality, the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD) works with the mission to increase the number of African Americans in developing, managing, operating and owning hotel properties thereby creating jobs and wealth in the African American community.

image of Catherine Haynes and others Four undergraduate students from Penn State's School of Hospitality Management were front and center at the 11th Annual International Multicultural Tourism/Minority Hotel Ownership Summit & Trade Show held on July 18-21, 2007 Atlanta Century Center Marriott with their advisor, Catherine Haynes. The students who attended are Rythda Destine (Senior) Christopher Tally (Senior), Micah Smith (Senior) and president elect the Penn State Chapter of National Society of Minority Hoteliers, and Angelo Blakey (Senior).

"I am sincerely thankful for Penn State sponsoring four students to attend," said senior Micah Smith. "My aspirations in the hospitality field changed drastically: I use to aspire to be a general manager of a large hotel. Now, I aspire to be a hotel owner."

In addition to a jam packed itinerary of workshops, dinners, roundtables, special interest groups, educational seminars, and much more, students had the opportunity to network with hospitality professionals from across the globe – including those who have visited Penn State's programs for Army Lodging. They also visited visit senior military VIP guest quarters (including that of General Colin Powell), and met Michael Roberts, president of Roberts and Company and author of Action has no Season.

"This was one of the best experiences I have had while attending Penn State," said senior Christoper Tally.

For a full story on NabHood and information about it's offerings, click here: nabhood.com/story.cfm/mode/92

Best Paper

Dave Cranage received a Best Paper Award at the CHRIE conference for The relative importance of menu item attributes at point of selection for young adults in a campus setting.

The study identifies the relative importance of menu attributes (taste, appearance, price and nutrition aspect) affecting customers’ decision process when selecting a menu item.

Taste (67.38%) was identified with the most important factor and price (16.77%), nutrition aspect (11.59%), and appearance (4.27%) followed respectively.

Furthermore, a group comparison classified according to expenditure level for a lunch showed that those in high expenditure group consider taste and nutrition aspects of a menu to be more important than those in the low expenditure group.

The paper will appear in the Journal of Foodservice Business Research in Volume 10, Issue 4.

To Require or Not to Require… Attendance, this is the question

The issue of mandating student attendance through policies and sanctions has always been a contentious issue in higher education. Proponents say that mandatory attendance policies are justified since attendance leads to better grades. On the other hand, opponents of forced attendance feel that the decision to attend class should be left up to the student.

A recent article by Marja Verbeeten entitled Mandatory Attendance Policy and Motivation Among Hospitality Management Students that appears in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education reports on a study conducted to look at the effect of mandatory attendance policies on class attendance among hospitality management students. The study also investigates students' perceptions about those policies.
Respondents felt that attendance policies helped them in attending class, and they realized that coming to class would help them get better grades. Yet, they still expressed a huge dislike of attendance policies.

SAVE THIS DATE! Alumni in the Classroom Days

Exciting! Entertaining! Educational!

That's what everyone says…so hold that date and get involved. This year, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, October 10-12, are designated as Alumni in the Classroom '07 days.

Based on the overwhelming success of the inaugural Alumni in the Classroom event last year, the School of Hospitality Management and the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society are jazzed to host Alumni in the Classroom '07.

The objective of Alumni in the Classroom is to have seasoned alumni teach in their respective area(s) of expertise, and to share illustrious and lively tales of life on the other side – that would be, in industry.

The Agenda:
Thursday evening, October 11
Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society (PSHRS) will host its annual Alumni Awards Reception at the Nittany Lion Inn. This includes the award for both the Alumnus/Alumna of the Year and our Emerging Professional.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, October 10-12
Alumni in the Classroom Days: Exciting, entertaining, educational!

To register for Alumni in the Classroom 2007: complete the attached form and return to Lynn Hall, ldh16@psu.edu, or fax it to: 814.863.4257.
<Click here for the Registration Form>

The information on the form is an integral part of the planning for this great event, so please take the time to complete the form and to provide as much information as possible. Deadline for submission of the form is Friday, August 24, 2007. We will send a class schedule as soon as possible after registration is complete.

We have reserved a room block at the Nittany Lion Inn. Please contact them directly, and mention the PSHRS event.

This promises to be a great event for both students and alumni, and we hope you will join us!

Hospitality Executive of the Year

Please join us for the Hospitality Executive of the Year award which will take place, as always, at the American Hotel and Lodging Show in New York on November 11.

We are proud to honor Tom Giannopoulos, Chairman, President, and CEO of Micros Systems.

Alumni News

The next time you are in Bellefonte, Pa. – might be after a football game, just driving through, or a detour on your way to somewhere else – check out the High Street Pub & Cook Shop.

Alumnus, Ken Engel (HRIM '92) returned to his roots to wield his wand, his spoon, and his flavorful food ala Slow Cooking. After leaving University Park, Engel spent several years in Washington DC.

Manager, Mark Ivicic (HRIM & Theatre '05) runs a gracious and fun dining room where the décor is simple elegance, the bar serves local micro brews, and the service is genuine and friendly.

Benefield Bash held in Baltimore

Eighty-nine enthusiastic School of Hospitality Management fans attended the annual Benefield Bash, hosted by Ken Conklin (FSHA '80) at the Pier Five Hotel and Admiral Fell Inn in Baltimore the weekend of July 15. As always, The Bash brought together alumni of all ages in memory of Richard Benefield. Although the event is primarily social, PSHRS also conducted business and held a board meeting.

"The Benefield Bash is a fantastic event," says director Bert Van Hoof. "I get an opportunity to interact with our alumni on a very informal, yet very intense level. Conversations at the Bash take on a whole new meaning and go much deeper than they do at other events, since there is more time to hear about people's lives and careers." Most striking was the growing number of new and younger faces in attendance.