More than 40 participants, including 36 alumni from MSU’s School of Hospitality Business, gathered at MSU University Club during the weekend to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the school and look toward the future of the program.
Educators from 19 different hospitality schools across the nation participated in the Spartan Hospitality Educators Summit. The three-day event was the first in a series to be held during the next 15 months.
Ron Cichy, director of the School of Hospitality Business, said this was the first time alumni have come back for a summit to discuss the hospitality business program.
“We’re here to explore the future of hospitality business from a Spartan perspective,” Cichy said. “At MSU, we continue to produce the leaders in the industry, and this event gave us a vehicle and an open dialogue to discuss issues of the program.”
The event started with a dinner Thursday night at the Kellogg Center and was followed by an all-day seminar Friday with lectures and round table discussions from different perspectives, including distance learning and globalization.
One of the lectures was led by Don Smith, former director of the school from 1981 to 1986, who talked about the future of the program from a coach’s perspective.
“I run my classes like a football practice,” said the Washington State University professor. “They’re early in the morning and it’s a test to see who wants it.”
Smith said he was happy to have an opportunity to come back and visit with old colleagues.
“I never thought I would be back at this university with my friends and students,” he said. “My six years here were the most wonderful years of my life.”
He wasn’t the only Spartan who was happy to have the chance to see how the program has evolved and how campus has changed.
H. A. “Andy” Divine, a professor at the University of Denver, said it was the first time in more than 30 years that he has been back on campus.
“Having Dr. Cichy bring together this whole group of educators from around the country is nothing short of fantastic,” he said. “We got together and exchanged a lot of ideas.”
Terry Umbreit, a summit leader and a 1963 MSU graduate, said it’s great to bring people with knowledge and experience back to the university to contribute to how business will be run in the 21st century.
“We are looking at the impact of change and the new technology in the business field and how we can prepare and deal with them,” he said.
Umbreit, director of the hospitality program at Washington State University, said the key ingredient for success is right here at MSU. Umbreit is the longest serving hospitality business school director in the county.
Although a lot of graduates have moved on to different colleges and universities, Umbreit said, “We all bleed MSU.”
