Hospitality Heralds
Issue #15, Fall 2014
Notes from the "Two" Chairs
As many of you will have seen in my email announcement last month, in January, I will be stepping down as the Department Chair of HTM and commence my new role as Associate Dean in the College of Community and Public Service at GVSU. As I reflect on my 11 years in HTM and particularly the last 8 as your unit head, I feel immensely proud of the success we have achieved as a team in helping elevate our program to be one of the best in the country. We have an ever growing student and alumni base, a revised curriculum that reflects industry ‘best practices’, engaged faculty who are disseminating their scholarship within domestic and international academic communities, industry partners who consistently seek and develop our interns and graduates, a growing fundraising endowment allowing us to provide scholarships for students in need, and innovative teaching and
community engagement projects to name but a few of the many highlights. Continue reading...
Mark Your Calendars!
Mark your 2015 calendars and save the dates for exciting GVSU HTM events!
Friday, April 3
Hospitality Summit (DeVos Place - Grand Rapids)
Friday, April 24
HTM Spring Gala (JW Marriott - Grand Rapids)
Monday/Tuesday, May 18/19
Michigan Cares for Tourism's 3rd Clean-Up Event (Location TBA)
Wednesday, June 3
GVSU HTM/KCLA Annual Scholarship Golf Outing (Meadows Golf Course - Allendale)
Sunday, June 7
Benjamin Mutnick 'Mettle' Award Scholarship Golf Outing (Meadows Golf Course - Allendale)
HTM Faculty Receive "Excellence in Research" Award
Four HTM faculty (A. Scott Rood, Michael Scantlebury, Robert Robins and Mark Gleason) recently collaborated with the
West Michigan Environmental Action Council in a year-long project that studied planning/implementation for a Lake Michigan Water trail from Benton Harbor to Ludington. A water trail is a designated route on a navigable waterway such as a river, lake, or canal that is designed and implemented to foster educational and recreational experiences. Water trails provide safe access to, and information about these waterways, while also providing connections to cultural, historical, natural, and other attractions. Water trails are intended for non-motorized uses such as kayaks, canoes, and other human/muscle powered
craft, along with wind-powered activities. Click here to read the full report.
Scott Rood presented a summary of the findings of this study at the 34th National Conference of the Resort and Commercial Recreation Association. The presentation received RCRA’s annual “Excellence in Research Award.”
Graduate Assistant Spotlight: Michelle Gross
Michelle Gross, B.A., Northwestern College, Iowa.
I am in my final year of pursuing dual degrees in the Master of Social Work at GVSU and Master of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary. I chose this degree combination because it integrates my passions for theology and justice. I hope to work at a college or university as a chaplain facilitating student opportunities in campus ministry activities, cross-cultural immersion, and service-learning trips. My undergraduate degree from NWC was in Spanish in which I had opportunities to study abroad/serve in Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Cuba. Traveling to these countries has shaped me in profound ways and I hope to help other students have life-changing cross-cultural experiences of their own.
Making Research Real
By Patty Janes, Ph.D.
Welcome to the first column dedicated to sharing GVSU/HTM research with you in our hopes that we continue to provide resources or thoughts with you that may further get you thinking, help you with industry issues or challenges, and keep us connected!
Remember, you are a Laker for a Lifetime, and we are interested in staying engaged with you in more ways than just keeping you abreast of changes, and what we are doing. We strive to be a lifetime resource for you, and we hope you find value in one more way we want to help.
In a simple view, a faculty member's role ultimately is to move the industry forward. As you know, we all strive to do this through our teaching. However, two of the other core functions of a tenure track faculty member is to 1) provide service to the 'community'...industry, university, and department, and 2) conduct and share research. Continue Reading...
Keep Us Updated!
Change jobs? Get married and have a new last name? Moved? Have a new e-mail address? Well let us know!
We like to keep our Alumni database as up-to-date as possible, so if your information has changed recently, please take a very brief minute or two, and complete our Alumni Contact Form. Thank you!
Special Recognition
Allison Adams and Lisa Sisson's article, "Essential Hospitality Management Competencies: The Importance of Soft Skills," is the most read article on the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education website.
Dr. Paul Stansbie and Dr. Kristy Jack's article, "Internship Design and its Impact on Student Satisfaction and Intrinsic Motivation," was awarded the "Article of the Year" from the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education.
Michigan Cares for Tourism was awarded the "Partnership and Collaboration Award" by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Current GVSU HTM Students and PCMA of GVSU Executive Board members , Brooke DePauw and Amanda Halasz, were enlisted by the PCMA Greater Midwest Chapter
to help assist their Student Membership Committee with their Student Social Media Campaign.
HTM Students Attend National Conference
Professor Scott Rood and eight HTM students attended the Resort and Commercial Recreation Association’s 34th National Conference that was held November 7-12 in Dubuque, IA. The following HTM students attended the Conference (left to right in the attached picture):
Mike Schneider, Kathryn Stringer, Nicole Pfeifle, Megan Goodchild, Katlyn Miller, Regan Masters, Sarah Lowe, Andrew Grysen.
This was a very successful conference. Our students were great representatives of HTM as we continue to enhance the “GVSU Brand” within RCRA. As of this writing six of the students have accepted positions for this summer: Stringer and Pfeifle at Sunriver Resort (Bend, Oregon); Lowe and Goodchild at The Boathouse
(Martha’s Vineyard, MA.); Grysen at Chatham Bars Inn (Cape Cod, MA); and Miller at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Kiawah Island, SC).
Where Will Michigan Cares for Tourism Go Next?
Get social with
Michigan Cares for Tourism (MC4T), and stay in-the-know about the exciting things they have planned!
The 2015 MC4T clean-up event details are still a secret, so stay tuned...
MC4T Facebook
@MichiganCares @michigancares
Festival Research and Student Engagement
By Patty Janes, Ph.D.
GVSU/HTM students continue to be engaged in outside of the classroom activities volunteering for activities that enhance their skills, build their understanding of the hospitality and tourism industry, and provide a resource to HTM organizations. Several students volunteered to conduct festival research this summer assisting in research activities including collecting email addresses during the festival, conducting data entry, data analysis and sharing the findings that will ultimately help these festivals enhance the festival experience and better achieve their objectives.
The National Cherry Festival
(NCF) housed six GVSU/HTM students in Traverse City during the famed festival in July as students engaged with visitors and gathered random email addresses that would allow NCF to complete the most extensive research study in the festival’s 88 year history. Executive Director Trevor Tkach stated, “we could have never afforded, nor completed a study this extensive without the help of Grand Valley State University, the students, and Dr. Patty Janes.” Further, he shared that the data they learned from has already been utilized to make changes in their processes, and in planning for the 2015 festival. “We gained great insight regarding the experience our visitors and volunteers received, how we can improve, and where we should celebrate in our accomplishments”.
Continue reading...
Graduate Assistant Spotlight: Lindsay McNally
Lindsay McNally, B.A., Grand Valley State University; B.S., Grand Valley State University.
I am a second year graduate student in the Biostatistics PSM program at Grand Valley. I chose biostats because of my love of numbers and analysis, and also because of the variety of research contributions that can be made. Ideally, I'd like to have a career working in genetic and infectious disease research. I got my undergraduate degrees, also from GVSU, in mathemtics and Spanish, during which I spent a semester in Bilbao, Spain, and discovered I love to travel! In my free time, I love to dance, and I dance for Grand Valley Dance Troupe and also choreograph for them.
Dr. Charles Baker-Clark, Fulbright Scholar Update
GVSU HTM's Dr. Charles Baker-Clark began working in Kotor, Monetegro as a Fulbright Scholar this past September. He and his wife, Susan, have been quite busy while abroad. Here are some of the latest updates from Charlie:
Charlie's Blog
Olive Tourism on the Lustica Peninsula, Monetenegro
A Story of Cookies
HTM Alumni Advisory Board Member Interview: Alexis Baker
Why did you enter the hospitality field?
Surprisingly, I entered the hospitality industry after an evening of flipping through Grand Valley's catalogue guide. I was reading over different majors and the minute I read the Hospitality section, I knew it was the career for me. I very much enjoy talking to people and ensuring things are "just right" for everyone I come in contact with, and as we know, much of the hospitality field is conversing with strangers and ensuring perfection for all guests!
When did you graduate and what was your emphasis area at GVSU?
I graduated GVSU in the spring of 2010 with an emphasis in Lodging.
What was your first position upon graduation?
Upon graduation I was offered a position within Amway Hotel Corporation as Housekeeping Expeditor at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.
Continue reading...
HTM Students to Work the Cannes International Film Festival in 2015
Several Grand Valley State University (GVSU) students are gaining industry-related experience working behind the scenes at the
Cannes International Film Festival. The international course, HTM 380 – International Event Management will provide students with an overview of theory and practices associated with managing festival and special events in an international setting, followed by a comprehensive practical experience of designing, delivering, and evaluating major events held at The American Pavilion, the epicenter of activity and hospitality and communications center for thousands of Americans attending the festival and largest pavilion on premises.
Founded in 1946, the Cannes Film Festival is the most prestigious film festival in the world, serving as a screening destination that allows investors, directors, producers, screenwriters and actors the opportunity to preview and market films of all genres. For 12 days in May, the small seaside city is transformed into a major venue hosting up to 250,000 people from around the world. During this time, thousands of films are screened, bought, and sold while celebrities make deliberate and sometimes unannounced appearances throughout. Continue reading...
GVSU Underwater Exploration with Dr. Mark Gleason
Several GVSU departments are cooperating to undertake underwater research in our Great Lakes and small inland lakes. HTM professor Mark Gleason, Ph.D., and Mark Schwartz, Ph.D., of the Archaeology Department are completing their fourth year of a successful partnership exploring Great Lakes shipwrecks using underwater technology. Their research involves exploring shipwrecks with sophisticated marine technology. The technology being used includes Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and side scan sonar. The ROVs are small robots that are driven from the surface to the shipwreck where they explore using cameras and other gear.
Over twenty shipwrecks have been explored in past four years by the team with support from several agencies, schools and private companies. Among the project’s other supporting partners are NOAA’s Thunder Bay Sanctuary, Alpena Community College, and Seaview Systems.
Dr. Gleason has been featured in several media outlets, such as Take Five & Company on WZZM 13, GVSU Lanthorn,
Science Around Michigan, Great Lakes Echo, and several issues in the Cadence Newspaper - articles dated
10/2/14 and 9/23/14.
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