Hotel, Restaurant & Resort Management Program

This week we continue our focus on Northwood University’s undergraduate specialty programs - their curricula, industry relations, our students, faculty and our graduates. Today’s message spotlights our Hotel, Restaurant & Resort Management (HRRM) Program which is one of our largest and most popular specialty programs across all three residential campuses. Like others, HRRM has undergone an extensive review over the past two years seeking input and feedback from respective campus advisory boards, department faculty, campus curriculum committees, students and alumni. We believe our revised product has been greatly improved by this process and are excited for our students and the industries they will help lead and transform in the future.

Hotel Restaurant & Resort Management Business

The Northwood University BBA in Hotel, Restaurant & Resort Management is one of more than 500 hospitality related programs of its kind in the United States, with few having a strong core of business courses to complement and supplement the hospitality curriculum like that found here at Northwood. In fact, less than half of all hospitality bachelor’s degrees offered in the United States are awarded through a business school department.  Our degree programs are kept current with regular curriculum reviews, input from advisory boards and alumni, industry guest lecturers, student internships, faculty research and consulting, and student run events like the “Texas Cook-Off,” the Stafford Dinner in Midland, and the Florida campus HRRM Senior class project.  Our impressive track record for placing students when they graduate speaks well for the program as does the impressive number of our graduates who hold leadership positions within the industry. Our Texas campus has a unique curriculum concentration of six courses which is a combination of the ten courses offered in the BBA program on the Florida and Michigan campuses. The HRRM option on the Texas campus is offered in conjunction with the BBA degree in Marketing. The hospitality industry comprises more than $1 trillion dollars of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and realized modest growth in 2009, which is fairly impressive given the current state of the economy.  The industry employs 5.9 million people and includes hotels, resorts, restaurants, multiple wholesalers, air travel, etc.  We have a strong reputation with the National Restaurant Association and the National Lodging Association and are working diligently to enhance our relationships and positioning throughout this sector.

Hotel, Restaurant & Resort Management Program Highlights and Activities
In addition to specialized courses, business courses, and general education courses, our students have the opportunity to participate in a number of projects and programs to further develop their industry knowledge as well as their managerial and leadership skills. The following is a sample of the opportunities provided to our students.

• Internships and Practicums – Northwood students earn hands-on experience and academic credit within the hospitality industry as they continue their studies. Through 100 hours of paid or unpaid employment, students experience what it will be like working in the industry.  Two valuable practicums are required which offer academic credit and real-world, industry-specific work experience. The businesses at which our students serve is impressive and includes: The Breakers, Trump Plaza, Disney, JW Marriott, Wynn Resort-Vegas, Stanley Hotel-Colorado, Boyne Properties, and the Homestead Resorts.

• Trips – Supervised visits are arranged to expose students to the broad scope of the industry, from modern and classic hotels and resorts to theme parks and fine dining restaurants. Properties recently visited include the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Hotel–Mackinac Island, Zehnder’s Restaurant, Shanty Creek Hotel, National Restaurant Association Show–Chicago, and the W Hotel (a Starwood Property also in Chicago).

• Guest Speakers – Prominent business people and Northwood alumni, such as Rick Winn of Amway Grand, Dave Anderson of Famous Dave’s BBQ, Matt Prentice of Prentice Properties, Fred Bauer of Garland USA, and Dan Musser III of Grand Hotel, are invited to campus to share their unique insights on their careers as well as the state and direction of the industry.

• Trade Shows and Conventions – Hotel and restaurant shows and conventions are an important showcase for the students to meet and speak informally to industry leaders and to narrow their career search. Northwood students and faculty annually attend the National Restaurant Show in Chicago and maintain a booth for our University.

• Campus Theme Dinners and Programs – Each campus plans a specialty dinner or program completely designed, planned and executed by our students. These events are key components of each campus’ HRRM curriculum and are eagerly anticipated each year. All proceeds go toward scholarships for students in the HRRM program on our residential campuses.

Our Florida campus recently hosted the 7th Annual International Festival which had the largest attendance this year with over 300 high school students from local Hospitality Magnet Programs in Palm Beach County, and Northwood University alumni, faculty, staff, and students. The senior class of the HRRM Department plans, organizes, and implements this annual festival and creates exhibits from their home countries.  This year China, Australia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Spain and Israel were represented. Students demonstrate their home culture through authentic food, dress, music, architecture and native activities.

HRRM students on our Texas campus once again volunteered to serve the Holiday Party for an exceptional group of people who participate in the Texas Special Olympics - fun for all and, even more importantly, good for all. For the 11th year the students, along with Adult Degree Program (ADP) students, will be participating in the Founders’ Day Celebration.  Our Texas campus also hopes to bring back the Culinary Battle and Feast, known as IRON Knights, this spring. The Feast is two teams of two professors doing culinary battle to prepare a special dessert in 45 minutes in front of a cheering crowd of more than 200 people.  Contestants don't learn the main ingredient until the battle starts.  Dr. Steven Tidwell and Assistant Professor John D’Alessandro are two-time champions, winning their title by creating culinary mishaps with names like "Dirt"! While this is happening the HRRM Team is serving 155 seated guests a five-course meal created, tested and prepared by the HRRM students - all offered free of charge to resident students and many friends and family.

An added component of participation in the HRRM program is the level of support provided to all campus events. In Florida and Michigan, HRRM students have participated in Northwood’s Annual Auto Shows. Additionally, Florida campus students participate in the Citizenship Dinner, Freedom Ride, “Light the Night” Walk, Women in Business Luncheon, Outstanding Business Leaders Forum, and recently catered a banquet for over two hundred people.

Our Michigan campus recently hosted the 35th Annual Stafford dinner, held in memory of Professor William D. Stafford, the first Chairman of the Hotel and Restaurant Management Department at Northwood Institute. Dr. Bill Parlberg, President and CEO of Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth where the event was held, serves on our Board of Trustees and Michigan Board of Governors, and had high praise for this year’s event.  Other guests were equally impressed.

Northwood students are our greatest ambassadors for our University, and HRRM students step up to this role naturally.  As Paul Leone, President of The Breakers notes, "At The Breakers Palm Beach, our top priority is selecting and retaining outstanding individuals who are committed to the highest standards of excellence. We strive to find talent that shares our progressive, entrepreneurial spirit and as Northwood University shares a similar philosophy and endeavors to develop tomorrow's leaders, we have been fortunate to recruit hospitality students and alumni who share our standards for delivering a world-class experience."

The focus of this week’s message on our HRRM programs is fitting because last Wednesday February 10, Assistant Professor Karla Spaeth was recognized with the Michigan Campus Compact Faculty/Staff Community Service–Learning Award.  Peers designated Spaeth as the faculty/staff person on campus who has made the most outstanding contributions in service-learning and community service.  This award recognizes her influence on and the engagement of students to be involved in community service or service-learning through modeling, influencing or instruction. 

We congratulate Assistant Professor Spaeth on her recent honor and for the excellent work she does with our Michigan Campus students. We also congratulate and thank Dr. Janet Scarinci of our Florida program and Associate Professor Michael Lansing on our Texas campus for the diligent and inspired work they do on their campuses to help make all our HRRM programs the best they can be.

Have a great weekend!

Keith A. Pretty, J.D.
President and CEO
Northwood University
4000 Whiting Drive
Midland, MI 48640
989.837.4203 (phone)
989.832.9590 (fax)

pretty@northwood.edu