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* | RELATED INFO |
| * Consumer and Family Sciences |
| * Hospitality & Tourism Management |
October 30, 2007
Purdue celebrates plan for new home for hospitality and tourism management
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - |
The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation made the $4 million lead gift to construct Marriott Hall, a state-of-the-art facility for teaching, research and additional dining options for the campus and community.
The new building, to be located at the northwest corner of State and University streets, will upgrade all areas of Purdue's hospitality programs, including its
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The Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education ranked the department's undergraduate program No.1 nationally twice. One survey examined 121 four-year hospitality institutions in order to rank programs quantitatively based on five criteria: curriculum, faculty, student body, resources and fundraising. The second ranking was based on survey data collected from corporate recruiters for major hotel and restaurant companies.
"This Purdue department has achieved remarkable success," said Purdue President France A. Córdova. "The quality of the programs and the growing importance of hospitality and tourism in the economy have led to both a growing enrollment and the need for a first-class building. The generosity and foresight of the Marriott Foundation and our other donors will allow us to provide our students and faculty an outstanding learning and research facility."
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Ray Kavanaugh, head of the department, said the Marriott Foundation's support will provide much more than a new facility.
"This $4 million gift provides the base that ultimately will give our department a home on campus that will improve the learning environment for our students and upgrade research facilities for our faculty," Kavanaugh said. "It also will give us a better front door to the world for recruiters, the local community and visiting clientele of our teaching restaurants."
The department and its restaurants currently are located in Stone Hall.
Plans for the new facility include a restaurant demonstration classroom that will seat more than 100 students, several new classrooms and laboratories, a career center, a student services area, and reception space.
In addition, there will be larger venues, as well as a central campus location, more parking and expanded areas for quantity food production to service the student-operated John Purdue Room restaurant and HTM Café. Construction is expected to begin in 2009, with an estimated completion date of 2012.
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"These restaurants serve as training facilities for students and eating and gathering places for Purdue faculty, staff, students and community members," said Dennis Savaiano, dean of the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, in which the department is located.
The gift also will benefit the hospitality industry by enhancing the education Purdue students receive.
"The hospitality field needs well-trained and dedicated professionals in order to manage the growth that is forecast for the industry," said J.W. Marriott Jr., a trustee of the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. "Purdue has a well-known and respected hospitality and tourism management program, and this new facility will benefit the students of that program, as well as the business, for years to come."
J.W. Marriott Jr. also is chairman of the board and CEO of Marriott International, headquartered in Washington, D.C. The company employs 143,000 people and operates and franchises nearly 2,800 lodging properties in 67 countries under a number of brands, some of which include Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Renaissance Hotels and Resorts, Courtyard, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, SpringHill Suites, and Fairfield Inn.
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Steve Bauman, Marriott International vice president of talent acquisition and human resource research, said Purdue graduates have contributed to Marriott International's business success in many capacities.
"Purdue University is a role model in educating young people for future leadership in our industry," he said. "Over the years, Marriott has enjoyed hundreds of quality student interns and hired numerous graduates who started as property assistant managers and progressed to general managers and senior leaders on the corporate staff."
The hospitality and tourism management department has an enrollment of 620 undergraduates, 48 master's degree students and 14 doctoral students. The department offers management education across the whole range of the hospitality industry, including tourism, restaurant, hotel, club, resort and travel.
Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu
Sources: Dennis Savaiano, (765) 494-8210, savaiano@purdue.edu
Ray Kavanaugh, (765) 494-4643, raphaelk@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
From left, Purdue President France A. Córdova; Dennis Savaiano, dean of the College of Consumer and Family Sciences; Ray Kavanaugh, head of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism; and Steve Bauman, Marriott International vice president of talent acquisition and human resource research, stand beside a time capsule that was part of Tuesday's (Oct. 30) celebration of the future Marriott Hall. The time capsule was filled with memorabilia from student organizations, directors and donors and will be opened in 2028 when the College of Consumer and Family Sciences reaches its 100th anniversary. The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation made the $4 million lead gift to construct the $12 million state-of-the-art facility that will will house the top-ranked Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management. (Purdue News Service photo/Mark Simons)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2007/marriott-capsule.jpg
PHOTO CAPTION:
Abby Cronau, a graduate student from Danville, Ind., checks the reservation list while Martina Stone, a junior from Long Island, N.Y., prepares the menus for the lunch crowd at the John Purdue Room. The hospitality and tourism management students are working at the student-operated restaurant in Stone Hall, which will be moving to a new $12 million hospitality and tourism management building. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2007/HTM-johnpurdueroom.jpg
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