UNH Hospitality Management Program is Setting a National Pace for Students through Innovative Education

DURHAM, N.H., Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of New Hampshire Hospitality Management Program is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. It is the second-oldest four-year degree program of its kind in the country and is continuing to set the pace for educating students in the hospitality industry, using state-of-the art technology and facilities.

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As part of the 90th Anniversary celebration, the program's Life Time Achievement Award this year was presented to Lynne Dougherty '78, who had a successful and impactful career with Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

"It takes real drive, passion, innovation, and leadership to make an impact. That is why Lynne was selected for this prestigious award," said Nelson A. Barber, chair of the Hospitality Management Program at UNH.

The program was recently ranked by The Best Schools as 26th best hospitality program in the U.S. and 2nd in New England. It is part of the UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, which is ranked among the nation's top 100 best undergraduate business schools and 38th for public business schools in the U.S.

"I am very pleased that our hospitality management program also has been ranked for the first time among the top programs in the country," said Deborah Merrill-Sand, dean of Paul College. "The criteria for ranking are metric driven and based on program quality, courses offered, faculty strength, the quality of business education, internship opportunities, graduate degrees, and mentoring and career opportunities, among others."

The lodging industry has been influenced over the past 90 years by financial crises, including the great depression and recession, the oil crisis of the 1970's, social unrest, and the fast pace in which technology changes.

"For the industry to survive, past segmentation practices are no longer valid; rather a revolutionary shift toward personalization is needed, where hotels become 'centers of real-time innovation', altering future business strategies, service models, and organizational approach toward innovation," said Barber, chair of the Hospitality Management Program.

"Addressing these challenges, the program educates talented and well-trained industry professionals through relevant curriculum, industry partnerships providing cutting edge technology in the classroom, industry certifications, and student mentoring and career counseling," he said.

The program is designed for graduates to develop into senior executives 15 to 20 years from graduation. This success is exemplified by industry leaders such as lifetime achievement award winners Lloyd Farwell '48, James Nassikas '52 and, most recently, Dougherty.

Farwell was the former executive vice president of Hilton Inns Inc. and senior vice president with Hilton Hotels Corp. Nassikas was the founder of the Stanford Court Hotel in San Francisco and was instrumental in the conception and development of Deer Valley Resort in Utah.

About UNH's Hospitality Management Program

The UNH Hospitality Management program is the second-oldest four-year degree program of its kind in the country. The program is the No. 2-ranked hospitality program in New England and 26^th in the U.S. out of nearly 400 programs. The program has built a reputation for its student-focused, renowned and highly-engaged faculty, staff and alumni mentors. For more information, visit paulcollege.unh.edu/hospitality-management.

About UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics

The UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, offers a full complement of high-quality programs in business, economics, accounting, finance, management, information systems and business analytics, entrepreneurship, marketing, and hospitality management. Programs are offered at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive development levels. The college is accredited by AACSB, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier accrediting agency for business schools worldwide. For more information, visit paulcollege.unh.edu.

Contact:

Alaina Gonzalez
Tel: 603-647-8606
E-Mail: [email protected]

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SOURCE University of New Hampshire