Hospitality Management Program at University of Missouri

Dr. Amanda Alexander, assistant hospitality management professor at Mizzou, has a passion for working with students as they find their own career aspirations and supporting them to achieve their goals. She developed that passion while she was a student herself at Mizzou. As a master’s and doctoral student in the Mizzou hospitality management program, Dr. Alexander experienced the same responsibilities that she would ultimately have as a faculty member. Her teaching assistant...ship introduced her to how to lead class discussions, meet with students and develop course assignments and assessments. Plus, she enjoyed the program’s community atmosphere. Dr. Alexander says, I might be bias, but our program is the best! It builds a community in which students support one another, and faculty develop a relationship with students that extends beyond their time at Mizzou. You too can be part of the Mizzou hospitality management community! The food and hospitality systems master’s and doctoral programs are accepting applications through April 30. Learn more about admissions at https://gradschool.missouri.edu//food-and-hospitality-sys/.

At 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14, the Mizzou Hotel and Lodging Student Association (MHLSA) will host alumna Laura Weldon. She serves as regional operations director for Turnkey Vacation Rentals, which recently entered the Branson market. Turnkey would like to share about potential job opportunities for upcoming graduates and summer internships. To join the virtual meeting, use this Zoom link: https://umsystem.zoom.us/j/96036918316. Contact MHLSA president Morgan Baker at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Today at 5 p.m., learn about Table Game Operations from Doug Lang, vice president and assistant general manager of the Ameristar St. Charles Casino. Lang will share this presentation with Dr. Lincoln Marshall's Lodging Operations and Management class, but any member of the Mizzou College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources community may attend. To request Zoom connection details, contact Ye-Jin Lee at [email protected].

Our students enrolled in this spring’s event planning capstone course have put their skills to the test by planning a series of upcoming events! On Monday, April 12, you’re invited to attend Mizzou’s Club Management Association of America Day. The event includes a virtual tour of the Indian Hills Country Club, educational content and networking with club manager professionals! Register now at http://bit.ly/cmaaday.

Congratulations to doctoral candidate Ye-Jin Lee who received one of five Mizzou College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Dissertation Research Improvement Grants this spring! The $2,000 grant will support Ye-Jin's research, which focuses on identifying the emerging travel trend called pod travel after the COVID-19 pandemic by applying a mixed-methods approach. Her research is expected to benefit local travel companies, including those in Missouri, by understanding travelers' needs and behavioral shifts during COVID-19 and how this change will shape the industry in a sustainable way.

Announcement! From 2 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. Central on Thursday, April 8, all Mizzou College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources students are invited to attend a virtual presentation from Michael Hooper, general manager at the Hilton Miami Airport. Dr. Lincoln Marshall's Lodging Operations and Management class will host Hooper, who will speak about "Human Resource Management and Ethics in Hotels." To request Zoom connection details, contact Ye-Jin Lee at [email protected].

Mizzou hospitality management alumna Alison Casler, vice president of human resources for Drury Hotels, describes the program's culture as genuine, caring, hands-on and collaborative. Watch as she explains how this culture lends itself to creating a valuable experience for students.

Don't miss this week's Mizzou Special Events Society (MSES) virtual meeting! Scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, the meeting is open to all current and prospective members. Meeting topics include sharing an overview of MSES, introducing the organization’s executive members, highlighting MSES plans for the semester and answering membership questions. Check Canvas for Zoom meeting connection details.

Students, mark our virtual hospitality management speakers series on your calendars! From 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, Jacque Stock from the KC Convention Center and Lauren Logan with Visit KC will summarize how Kansas City, Missouri, hotels have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and share Kansas City tourism projections through 2022. Find Zoom connection details, including the meeting ID and passcode, on Canvas.

Watch as alumna Anne Conway describes the welcoming, family feel she remembers about the Mizzou hospitality management program and how the program positions students for career success. Get to know more about the program at https://dass.missouri.edu/de/hospitality-management-degree/.

Join the Mizzou Hotel and Lodging Student Association (MHLSA) at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30 as it hosts a Zoom discussion with Alan Di Leo, hotel manager at the Renaissance Las Vegas. During his presentation, Alan will share about his experiences in the industry, advice for students to consider and how COVID-19 has affected his work. To attend, complete the Google form at https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLSccPkTRu37nrkgOD/viewform. Use this Zoom link to access the meeting: https://umsystem.zoom.us/j/98117265559. Contact MHLSA president Morgan Baker at [email protected] to receive the Zoom meeting password.

Watch as Jordan Kallet, hospitality management class of 2021, shares advice for new students and those who are interested in the Mizzou hospitality management program. Jordan recommends that students get involved in organizations on campus, so they can familiarize themselves with the industry and possible career paths.

Congratulations to Dr. Pei Liu, assistant professor, who received funding from the USDA Food Safety Outreach Competitive Grants Program for her research project titled Development and implementation of a customized and culturally-sensitive FSMA supplemental training program for Hmong farmers: A community outreach project. To support the project, USDA-NIFA provided $274,670 in funding.

When Gentry Hall was first built in 1942, its purpose was to house Naval aviators and mechanics being trained on campus. Two years later, it was renamed as the Women’s Residence Hall, and almost 10 years after that, the name changed to Gentry Hall to honor Sarah Gentry, a prominent Kansas City educator and Mizzou’s second female graduate. Today, Gentry Hall provides space for several DASS programs including hospitality management. Read more about CAFNR’s 150th anniversary at https://cafnr.missouri.edu/150th/. #CAFNR150

To hospitality management alumnus Eric Lawson, general manager of the Courtyard Marriott in Columbia, Missouri, the hands-on learning approach and one-on-one guiding provided by the Mizzou hospitality management program gave him an advantage in the field post-graduation. Watch to hear more about how hospitality management faculty prepared Eric for his future career, and read more about our degree program at http://catalog.missouri.edu//ho/bs-hospitality-management/.

Welcome to all of our new students from our hospitality management upperclassmen! #MizzouAppliedSocialSciencesWelcomesYou

We are proud of Dr. Seunghwan Lee, who graduated from our food and hospitality systems doctoral program during fall 2018, for recently becoming an assistant professor at Kongju National University in Gongju, South Korea. Seunghwan will begin his new position this fall, and he will teach courses focused on tourism management, tourism marketing and medical tourism. To Seunghwan, the Mizzou hospitality management PhD program prepared him for a teaching and research career in South Korea and allowed him to participate in reputable conferences and conduct research.

Watch as Sarah Mack, hospitality management class of 2021, shares a few words about how her teachers in the hospitality management program prepared her for the future by offering her real-life experiences.

Listen to a short message from Dr. Seonghee Cho, associate professor of hospitality management, as she welcomes our incoming students and shares some tips for how to succeed this school year. #MizzouAppliedSocialSciencesWelcomesYou

Congratulations to PhD student Jibin Baby for receiving a graduate student research grant from the CAFNR Office of Research! His research project is titled Optimism Bias of Travelers in Missouri during COVID-19. Jibin is studying in the food and hospitality systems PhD program with Dr. Dae-Young Kim.