The Alumni Association of the
Dedman School of Hospitality
Our Purpose is to assist and facilitate the Mission of the
Dedman School of Hospitality by:
Providing support and mentoring to current students
Provide communication and networking to graduates
Facilitate career opportunities for our current students and our alumni
Provide communication and support to our faculty
Former Students from the
Dedman School of Hospitality:
Greetings from your home campus -
Dedman School of Hospitality, I hope this message finds you all well. This academic year has been very busy, so I'll take a few minutes to bring you up-to-date. Be sure to scan our web site for more information on students, news & events, alumni, and industry partners:
http://www.cob.fsu.edu/dsh/
Faculty & Staff
In August 2007 we had our first faculty & staff retreat and it was hosted by Mike Stange, FSU '75, President of Sandestin Beach Resort. It was a great time for our new and established team members to plan the year ahead and get to know each other. Here is an updated listing of our faculty and staff:
http://www.cob.fsu.edu/dsh/faculty_staff.cfm
New Faculty & Staff
Randy Clay, Part-Time Adjunct Professor, General Manager ARAMark
Don Farr, Director, PGM Program
Angel Gonzalez, Part-Time Adjunct Professor, Director of HEP (Hospitality Education Program)
Cynthia Johnson, Office Manager, PGM Program
Woody Kim, Associate Professor, Hospitality Finance
Jim Koenigsberg, Certified Executive Chef
Tracy Marple, Part-Time Adjunct Professor, General Manager of University Center Club
Tim Middleton, Office Manager, Hospitality
Established Faculty
Mark Bonn, Professor
Kim Harris, Professor (on sabbatical this year)
Ernie Lanford, Internship Coordinator, PGM Program
Chas LaTour, Professor Associate-In
Jane Ohlin, Associate Professor
Jim Riscigno, Executive in Residence
Jason Stiles, Adjunct Professor
This Spring Semester 2008 will be the last semester Chas Latour and Jim Riscigno will be teaching on campus, as they are both retiring and moving-on to new ventures. Chas has been an outstanding instructor for our Little Dinner Series over the past 8-9 years, and Jim was instrumental in the incredible gift we received from the Dedman Family. We're recognizing and honoring Chas and Jim in several ways throughout the year but if you have a chance, be sure to send them a message and thank them for their many valuable contributions to the
Dedman School of Hospitality.
Chas:
clatour@cob.fsu.edu
Jim:
jriscign@cob.fsu.edu
We're also planning to hire a Director of Industry Relations staff member in 2008. This individual would assist in the coordination of internship placements, recruiting, student-industry clubs,
Society of Hosts, special events, and our multi-faceted interactions with the hospitality industry.
Women's Symposium
In September 2007, Jane Ohlin orchestrated the first Hospitality Women's Leadership Symposium anywhere in hospitality education. Over 30 women leaders from the hospitality industry spent the day on campus with our 120 women students. Jane organized panel discussions in our classes and a progressive luncheon at the University Center Club. The progressive luncheon was a creative event where women students rotated to several tables with women leaders, creatively planned by Pam Monnier ('89 FSU Alum) and the University Center Club. The goal was to help our women students connect with women role models and mentors in the hospitality industry - and it was a smash hit. Many thanks to Jane Ohlin!
60th Anniversary Reunion
In October 2007, we celebrated our 60th Anniversary
Society of Hosts Alumni Reunion. On Friday morning, October 5, we had a golf outing at Seminole Golf Course and that evening was our dinner event to recognize Chuck Floyd '81, President of Global Hyatt Hotels, as Alumnus-of-the-Year. Horst Schulze, former President of Ritz-Carlton Hotels and current President of West Paces Hotel Group, was the keynote speaker. This same evening FSU also awarded an honorary MBA degree to Ed Rabin, former President of Global Hyatt Hotels, in an official ceremony with Dean Caryn Beck-Dudley and Dean Anne Rowe. There were 150 attendees for the dinner event, including our alum's, current and former faculty members, students, many Senior Vice Presidents from Hyatt Hotels, plus Vice Presidents and General Managers from Ritz-Carlton Hotels. Overall, it was a fantastic weekend!
https://www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/FTA/cpages/events.jsp?chapter=2
Student-Industry Events
Our students and faculty have been very busy traveling and attending valuable industry events. Here is a brief overview:
September - Management Shadowing, The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, hosted by Ed Staros, VP & GM, and FSU Alum
November - New York Hotel Show
January - PGA Show in Orlando
February - CMAA National Conference National Society of Minorities in Hospitality Conference, Pittsburgh
Management Shadowing at the Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, and Westin Hotels in Atlanta
Career Fair
On January 30, 2008 we hosted our 23rd Annual Hospitality Career Fair. We had 50-55 companies, including the best from the hotel, restaurant, club, and golf segments. This big event was coordinated by Chas LaTour and three outstanding students.
We also recognized many alum's from the early 1980's at the Career Fair this year, who have "survived and thrived" in the F&B side of our industry. The list of invitees included the following: By the way, Ashby Stiff, Dr. Dave Pavesic, Mr. Bob Webb, and Mr. Dick Almarode also attended.
1. Naushab Ahmed, Creative Culinary Director of Allen Brothers
2. Robert Armstrong, Hyatt Hotels, San Diego
3. Julie Barreda, President, Destination Kitchen
4. Jeff Bell, EVP, Hillstone Restaurants
5. Tom Brunnberg, Pres., Bricktops Restaurants
6. Chris Burr, National Director of Sales, Yum-Yum Brands
7. Mary Carducci, is a personal chef and teaches culinary classes at Valencia Community College
8. Victor Carducci, is the Corporate Executive Chef, The Cliffs Communities
9. John Culver, Pres., Starbucks - Asia Pacific Rim
10. Joe Douglas, CEO, 131 Main Restaurants
11. Steve Ginsberg, Halpern?s Meat and Seafood
12. Debra Hammer-Mella, General Manager, Cipriani's - NYC
13. Dale McDaniel, General Manager, Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort
14. Amy Nelson-Johnson, President, PRA Destination Management Atlanta
15. Steve Overholt, EVP, Outback Group
16. Steve Papero, President, Stonewood Grill Restaurants
17. Ms. Cindy Ross, Proprietor, Shenanigan's Irish Pub
18. Barry Shapiro, Pizza Hut Restaurants
19. Art Smith, Author, Special Events Chef to Oprah Winfrey, Chef Owner Table 52, Chicago
20. Doug Sullivan, CEO, Stonewood Grill Restaurants
21 . Mike Vaughn, COO, 131 Main Restaurants
New Curriculum
We've been working hard implementing a new curriculum for all Hospitality and PGM majors this year. Mark Bonn, Kim Harris, and Jane Ohlin surveyed several hundred industry leaders for guidance, and developed a dynamic number of new courses and options for students. Students can focus on Lodging, Food & Beverage, Club, Convention & Events Management, or Professional Golf Management. The new courses include:
Introduction to Food & Beverage Management (completely re-tooled "Lunch Class")
Restaurant Operations (an additional Little Dinner Series course, with emphasis on fine dining a 'la carte service - we still offer the traditional Little Dinner Series course)
Managing Revenue & Expenses (P&L course, with focus on revenue management and cost controls)
Conventions & Events Management
Luxury Hotels & Resorts
Hospitality Careers (1 hour course for Freshmen and Sophomore students, to introduce the wide array of career options)
You may recall, that we have a Certified Executive Chef working in the kitchen full-time with all F&B classes for the first time in our history, to ensure a high quality education. Of course, our students are required to take all the rigorous College of Business courses and we remain one of the very few hospitality programs that offer students a College of Business degree. Our students must still complete 1000 hours of practical industry experience before they graduate. For more information on our curriculum:
http://www.cob.fsu.edu/dsh/ha_ba_curriculum.cfm
CMAA-BMI
Florida State was the host university for the Club Managers' Association of America (CMAA) Business Management Institute (BMI) Golf Management Program, held on March 29, in St. Augustine, Florida, at the World Golf Village. This was the 2nd year for this national event organized by Cyd Bougae, Vice President of CMAA and FSU Alum, along with Jim Riscigno. The
Dedman School of Hospitality and Professional Golf Management was proud to play a major role in this event which brought top leaders together from the CMAA, PGA, GCSAA, World Golf Foundation, and Golf 2020. This year Cyd Bougae, Jim Riscigno, and Don Farr all participated, and we appreciate the tremendous efforts from Cyd to make it happen. Look for this cover story in the CMAA magazine, May 2008 issue!
Spring Fling
In March we held our first "Spring Fling", when all DSH & PGM students, faculty, and staff met with the leaders from the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA), University Center Club, ARAMark, and hospitality managers from the local community. The event was held on Langford Green outside the University Center where we welcomed all new students and bid a fond farewell to our graduating seniors.
At this time, we have approximately 225 Hospitality Majors and 25 PGM Majors, recognizing this is the "official" count of junior and senior students only.
The faculty and staff wish you all a great 2008, and we want to thank you again for your continued service to the
Dedman School of Hospitality. We hope to see you back on campus again this year, and please know that we're proud of you and how well you represent FSU. It is our alum's and all their successes that truly set us apart!
Bob
Robert A. Brymer, CHA
Director
Dedman School of Hospitality
College of Business
Florida State University
850-644-8241
rbrymer@cob.fsu.edu
10 Reasons for
SOH Membership
1. Communication - stay current and informed about students, alumni and faculty
2. Industry - provide students and alumni the opportunity to connect with industry.
3. Fellowship- connect with old friends and meet new friends.
4. Pride - building a legacy as FSU family.
5. Student Support - provide communication, networking, and career opportunities.
6. Scholarship - provide
SOH scholarships to students.
7. Sponsorship - sponsor student travel to industry and trade shows.
8. Faculty Support - provide resources and support to faculty.
9. Reputation ?
SOH support helps the school to attract quality students and faculty.
10. Recognition - participate in selecting and honoring our Alumnus of the Year.
Please support and join our FSU Alumni Association to receive all the benefits of membership plus stay in touch with FSU and your friends.
Dedman School of Hospitalitys
Celebrating 60 Years of Hospitality Excellence