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NU's Student Chapter of the Club Managers Association of America Named Best in the Nation

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Niagara University's student chapter of the Club Manager's Association of America was named Student Chapter of the Year by the organization at its 83rd World Conference in February. The student group, in only its third year of existence, was selected among 47 chapters based on a series of factors including number and variety of educational programs offered, member employment and internships in clubs, membership growth, relationship with the state chapter of CMAA, and member attendance at events.

Students who join Niagara's CMAA are required to complete a rigorous schedule of educational and networking events and to work at a club each summer between academic semesters. Dr. William Frye, associate professor of hospitality and tourism management and club adviser, noted that these requirements, in addition to the chapter's significant membership growth and internship placements with top-rated clubs, helped the chapter win the title. "Receiving the award was affirmation and confirmation that the model is sustainable," he said. "It proves to ourselves and to others that what we are doing will create successful opportunities for these students."

The Niagara University CMAA student chapter focuses its efforts on education, professional development, networking, and placement in accordance with the CMAA's mission of fulfilling the educational and related needs of its members.

Super Bowl a training site for NU students

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The following news is from San Francisco Business News

A group of Niagara University students is learning this week what goes into organizing one of the world's largest sporting events.

Eleven students from Niagara's College of Hospitality and Tourism Management traveled Feb. 2 to Miami to volunteer at the National Football League's Superbowl XLIV, which pits the Indianapolis Colts against the New Orleans Saints in the Feb. 7 matchup.

During the eight-day trip, the students will greet visitors, fill goody bags for Superbowl attendees and work at the Taste of the NFL, an annual pre-game day event that raises money for local and national hunger organizations.

"The purpose is to give these students hands-on experience in terms of what goes into putting together a major sporting event like the Superbowl," said Dexter Davis, assistant professor of sport management who accompanied the students to Florida.

The trip is part of the program's experiential focus, which aims to give students as many first-hand learning opportunities as possible, Davis said. Groups of students go to South Florida each year for Major League Baseball's spring training camps and an upcoming trip to San Antonio, Texas, site of the 2010 NCAA Women's Final Four, is planned.

Networking is key for students, many of whom have landed post-graduation jobs due to the contacts they made during such trips, Davis said.

"It really does boil down to connections and knowing people," he said.

Students underwent a fairly rigorous process to be selected for the trip. Resumes and cover letters were collected and interviews were conducted to determine which students to take, Davis said.

While portions of travel expenses are being paid for with grant money, each student paid about $500 out of pocket to go.

The trip marks the second Superbowl experience in three years for Niagara students. In 2007, a group did similar volunteer work in preparation for the game between the Colts and the Chicago Bears. The Colts won 29-17.

Dual Degree Program Approved

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The dual degree program with the International University of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef, Germany has been approved. Bad Honnef is one of our 10 partner schools of Leading Hotel Schools of the World, an organization that Niagara University helped to form about 7 years ago. Bad Honnef offers a highly respected hospitality and tourism program in Europe.

This dual degree program allows a student majoring in tourism or in hotel & restaurant at Niagara University to earn two degrees in four years: one degree from Niagara University and one degree from Bad Honnef in either international tourism management or international hospitality management. To earn the two degrees you need to study abroad for one year in Germany. You study abroad in your senior year so the students that should be applying for the program now are currently juniors. If you successfully complete all required course work in Bad Honnef you will receive the two degrees. This program begins in Fall 2010 for the 2010-11 academic year and the students who are eligible to participate in this program in Fall 2010 are currently juniors majoring in tourism or in hotel & restaurant management.

In your senior year you pay tuition to Niagara University like you normally do and you qualify for your normal amount of financial aid; hence, the tuition cost is the same ? whether you study at NU or in Germany. You will need to pay room and board to Bad Honnef. You will live on their campus. All instruction is in English but you will need to take German language courses to help you make the most of your experience abroad. The other courses are all in tourism or hospitality depending on your major.

The program at Bad Honnef, like ours, is applications oriented. The difference is that you receive an international perspective that we can't provide. The hospitality and tourism industry is the world's largest industry, employing 10% of the worldwide labor force. Much of the growth in the industry is abroad. For example, Carlson Hotels Worldwide, the 9th largest hotel company in the world based in Minneapolis, has 67% of its existing hotels in North America but 70% of its hotels currently under construction are abroad. Carlson, by the way, has operations in 140 countries. Their senior management team looks like a page out of the United Nations. Having an international experience provides you with a competitive advantage in today's rapidly developing global market place.

If you want to know more about this study abroad program, please contact Dr. Praetzel, Dean of College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, at gdp@niagara.edu or 716-286-8272.

Hospitality to Honor Four at Annual Convocation

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Jean-Claude Baumgarten, president and chief executive officer of the World Travel and Tourism Council, and Carol Coletta, President, CEOs for Cities are among the honorees at the Niagara University College of Hospitality and Tourism Management's 9th annual convocation Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. in the Alumni Chapel. The event is sponsored by The Maid of the Mist Corp; additional sponsorship for 2009 is provided by Buffalo Hotel Supply Co., Inc.

Baumgarten will receive the Tourism Industry Leadership Award. He was named his WTTC post in 1999 and has a distinguished career with Air France for over 28 years. He was the vice-president and general manager of the air carrier's U.S. operations, which also included the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, and French Polynesia.

Coletta, who will receive the Urban Regeneration Leadership Award, also serves the producer and host of the nationally syndicated public radio show "Smart City," is a former executive director of the Mayors' Institute on City Design, a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the American Architectural Foundation. Regarded by the national media as an expert on urban issues, she is a frequent speaker on the success formula for cities and creative communities.

Other Honorees Include

Louise Mitchell, director of Glasgow UNESCO City of Music, will receive the Cultural Management Leadership Award. A high profile figure in Scotland's arts world, Mitchell was formerly the director of Glasgow's Concert Halls, which manages the festival Celtic Connections and many of the city's key music venues. She was named director of City of Music last January. The Scottish city was named a City of Music in August 2008 as part of the Creative Cities Network established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to promote social, economic and cultural development.

Gerald Lawless, executive chairman of the Jumeirah Group, will receive the Lifetime Hotelier Leadership Award. He has been instrumental in developing some of the world's most iconic hotel projects, including the Burj Al Arab, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and the Wild Wadi Water Park.

For more information on the convocation and its honorees, contact Dr. Gary Praetzel, dean of the college, at 716-286-8272.

Statler Foundation Grant

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Statler Foundation Grant Will Enrich Programs in Niagara University's College of Hospitality & Tourism Management.

Niagara University's College of Hospitality & Tourism Management was awarded a $125,000 Statler Foundation grant to support student recruitment efforts, add on-campus educational opportunities and experiences, and expand upon its international programs, which include work-abroad programs in Lake Como, Italy, and in Cusco, Peru. It will also enable the college to implement an international dual degree program with the International University of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef, Germany, to enhance the marketability of graduates.

"What separates our program from other programs across the country is our almost seamless relationship with industry," noted Dr. Gary Praetzel, dean of the college. "We provide our students annually with approximately 12 industry excursions and we work hard to deliver the best possible experiential opportunities available to our students." According to Praetzel, the grant will facilitate these kinds of opportunities, including the development of an on-campus conferencing initiative that will provide students with practical sales and operations experience during summer events that require housing.

Niagara University's College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, a founding member of the Leading Hotel Schools of the World, offers a range of programs in lodging, foodservice management, tourism, recreation & sports management, and entrepreneurship. For more information, contact the college at 716-286-8270 or pan@niagara.edu.