School of Hospitality Management Monthly Update: September 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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A Place to Call Our Own

New Classrooms. New Conference Room. New meeting spaces. Coffee bar on the way. Even the basement, otherwise known as Mateer 6, is dusted, categorized, snappy, and ready to show to our returning alumni at Alumni in the Classroom. For information about Alumni in the Classroom, contact Bart Bartlett at bartb@psu.edu.

Tom Giannopoulos Named 2007 Hospitality Executive of the Year

The Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society (PSHRS) is pleased to announce that A. L. (Tom) Giannopoulos, Chairman, President, & CEO, MICROS Systems, Inc., has been named the 2007 Hospitality Executive of the Year.

Mr. Giannopoulos will receive the award during the 46th Hospitality Executive of the Year Award Dinner on Sunday, November 11, at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers. As part of the honor, Mr. Giannopoulos will also be inducted into the Penn State Hospitality Hall of Fame, located at the Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.

"It is rare that we are able to recognize an executive who has had a profound effect on both the hotel and restaurant industries," stated David Scypinski, Senior Vice President, Industry Relations, for Starwood Hotels and Resorts and President of the PSHRS. "Tom's leadership of MICROS Systems, has served to continuously provide the entire hospitality industry with innovative technologies that allow our businesses to operate with greater efficiency and we are delighted to have Tom become a member of the Penn State Hospitality Hall of Fame."

"I am extremely honored to be recognized by the prestigious Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society," stated Tom Giannopoulos. "MICROS and its employees strive for excellence everyday. I share this recognition with the dedicated employees who continue to make MICROS a leader in the industry."
"Mr. Giannopoulos joins an impressive list of Hospitality Executives at Penn State's School of Hospitality Management," said Bert Van Hoof, Director of the School of Hospitality Management.

Last year's award recipient was Richard J. Schnieders, chairman, chief executive officer, and president of SYSCO Corporation, Houston, Texas. Previous winners include: James S. Broadhurst, chairman and chief executive officer, Eat'n Park Hospitality Group; Robert F. Cotter, president and chief operating officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.; Allan L. Schuman, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Ecolab, Inc.; Michel Landel, president and chief executive officer of Sodexho; Marilyn Carlson Nelson, chairman and CEO of Carlson Companies, Inc.; Joseph Neubauer, chairman and CEO, ARAMARK; Henry R. Silverman, chairman and CEO, HFS Incorporated; Herman Cain, former president, Godfather's Pizza; Raymond Schultz, former president and CEO, Promus Hotel Corporation; J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and president, Marriott Corporation; Barron Hilton, chairman and president, Hilton Hotels Corporation; and Walter J. Conti, a member of the Penn State Board of Trustees, retired owner of Conti's Cross Keys Inn and Pipersville Inn in Doylestown (Pennsylvania), and creator of the distinguished Conti Professorship in the School of Hospitality Management.

www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2007_3rd/Sept07_Giannopoulos.html

Instructor tapped for inaugural Microsoft Board

Peter Nyheim, Instructor of Technology in the School of Hospitality Management, was asked to serve on the first Microsoft Hospitality Technology Academic Advisory Board. He joins 11 of his colleagues from around the world.

"I wanted to reach out as we put together our industry academia advisory group," said Sandra Andrews, director of Microsoft's Hospitality Industry Solutions. "I thought Peter would be a great addition."

During the HITEC conference held in Orlando last summer, Microsoft hosted a select group to create a forum exclusively for the field of hospitality management and administration. The aim of the meeting was to discuss top hospitality trends and use of technology to address these trends. Topics included the importance of integration to the industry, the changing role of business intelligence, adapting to the millennial generation, the merits of online communities and social networking. The group also discussed how -- and to what extent -- hoteliers can achieve the 360° view of the guest to enable personalized and immersive experiences.

While engaging opinion from academics, Microsoft showed off some of the company's latest technologies such as Radio Frequency Identity (RFID) and mobility, surface computing, and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). The company engaged discussion on how the world wide web is revolutionizing television and how Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is moving to mainstream facilitating video conferencing.

The new board was given an exclusive tour of the Microsoft show floor to see how industry partners integrate applications through a central information hub. Another specific area of interest for Microsoft was the impact of game changing trends and technologies.

"Microsoft is a number one company and is a great supporter of our initiatives here at Penn State SHM. Additionally, having a group such as this should benefit the industry as a whole. I'm glad to play a role," says Nyheim.

Cooking with Kids

After several years in the incubator the Cooking with Kids project hatched in Mateer Building.

Conroy Saldanha (Senior), chairperson of the initiative, assembled with a committee to outline the agenda for a new service program that matches interested SHM undergraduates with local middle school kids to teach the importance and fun of healthy eating.

The inaugural committee consists of faculty adviser, Vivienne J. Wildes, and undergraduate students Leigh Silkunas, Zachary Harris, Ryan Van Grouw and Brianna Morgan. Chef Ann Quinn Corr will act as the group's consultant.

"This is a great opportunity for students to reach out to the local community, mentor middle school students, and gain leadership skills," said Vivienne Wildes. The program is aimed at sixth graders.

Students acknowledge that Cooking with Kids will need to seek outside funding to keep the initiative alive from year to year. "We are grateful to our director for providing the seed money to buy the first round of groceries," says Saldanha. It is hoped that interest in healthy eating and childhood obesity will bring some outside support eventually.

United Club Council holds the Umbrella

The School of Hospitality Management offers its students the opportunity to get involved in a variety of clubs and organizations. However, with a limited number of students in the College, clubs found it difficult to attract new members, causing scheduling conflicts and a competitive atmosphere among the organizations.

In an effort to eliminate scheduling conflicts and improve the overall quality of the organizations, the United Club Council (UCC) was created. Initiated in 2005 by Paul Howard, instructor of Hospitality Management, the UCC aims to give student organizations the chance to get together and discuss scheduling problems and issues relevant to their organizations. Student leaders also have the opportunity to centralize their common goals, such as fundraising, merchandising and marketing.

Lesley Scamacca, faculty advisor for UCC, says that while there are faculty advisors to assist, the council is led by students. Ideally, two to three students from each organization meet monthly in an open forum. "The ultimate mission of the UCC is to unify the school and bring the student leadership together, she said. We're almost creating our very own UPAC," says Scamacca.

How to Please

Dave Cranage will be participating on a panel discussion of research journal editors in Orlando, Florida in January at the CHRIE Graduate Student Conference. The topic will be How to Please Editors and Reviewers. For more information about the CHRIE conference: www.hospitality.ucf.edu/graduateconference.htm

Conference Update

The 3rd International Conference on Services Management has had an overwhelming response of research article submissions. Over one hundred authors from around the world have submitted their research.

For further information, visit the conference website: www.jsr-iimt.in/sconf2008/

Students in the News

Ecolab's Summer Intern Sales Winner

Katie Kruegler was the winner of Ecolab’s 2007 summer intern sales contest, beating out 26 other interns from across the United States!

Katie sold a total of 66 cases of product for Ecolab during her 10 week internship. Ecolab’s summer intern sales contest designates key products in core customer categories. This year’s categories were Bar/Beverage and Customer Restroom, and included products like Ecolab lipstick remover and Orange Force multipurpose cleaner. Interns were challenged to develop a sales pitch and present the pitch directly to customers. If the intern could successfully close the sale they received credit towards the contest.

"Katie showed great persistence, drive, and energy to take the top prize in this contest. Her dedication to developing her selling skills while adding her unique personality was the contributing factor to her success."

Congratulations to Katie for her achievement!

Starwood Scholarship Winner

Congratulations to Leigh Silkunas winner of the Starwood Scholarship. Leigh is one of six students, nationwide, to be honored with the award.

American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation Scholarship Winners

Three SHM undergraduates won four American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF) scholarships for the 2007-2008 academic year.

Theresa Lu (senior) received the Cecil B. Day Scholarship, Cherise Perotti (senior) received the EcoLab Scholarship, and Angelo Blakey (senior) won the Hyatt Hotel Minority Scholarship and the Steve Hymans Extended Stay Scholarship.

Congratulations to the winners!

Fischer Scholarship Winner

Congratulations to Elisha Dumont a 2ESSM Student who won the Fischer Family Scholarship through World Campus. This is a university-level award and

Alumni in the News

Robert Scott Holmes ('97, HRIM) was promoted to the position of General Manager of the Wales Hotel, a luxury boutique hotel on Madison Ave. in New York City. Previous to his employment with the Wales Hotel, Holmes was with Hyatt Hotels for five years and had received Manager of the Quarter from the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Park Avenue, NYC.

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