Hospitality Business Management: - College of Business ...

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that means staying after class to discuss the intricacies of pricing heuristics, suggesting interviewing approaches, or helping to sort out the advantages of various internship possibilities, bonds formed in Todd Hall often remain strong over the years and over the miles. While everyone wants to maintain those face-to-face relationships, the School of Hospitality Business Management is looking forward to a new chapter in its history, Reynolds said. “We’re the third oldest program in the country, but we have a lot of room to grow.” Umbreit, who taught six different courses—at the same time—in his early years at WSU marvels at what the school has accomplished with a relatively small faculty. There are currently seven full-time faculty members in the program teaching and doing research, but they consistently rank near the top of the most published scholars in their field. In a 2002 study in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, WSU had three faculty members in the top 42 most-published authors in four hospitality journals. With the smallest faculty of leading university hospitality programs, WSU nevertheless continues to be wellrespected by its peers. In a 2000–2001 ranking, WSU came in sixth overall, and first in career services. Indeed, WSU has a placement rate for graduating seniors of more than 90 percent. “That’s what’s important,” Umbreit said, smiling, “I’ll take it!” Still, he said, he would like to see the school grow. Not as big as the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, with 60 faculty members, but maybe closer to California Polytechnic State University or Northern Arizona University, with 15 to 18 faculty members. “I’ve always felt a dozen faculty would help us keep our national presence,” he said. While additional faculty members depend on future funding, the school is advancing on two fronts right now: graduate education and international education. Starting in fall 2007 students will be able to earn a doctorate in business administration with an option in hospitality and tourism. And, at the undergraduate level, Umbreit and his A Half-Century of Service Lifelong business partners, WSU grads look back Countless Northwest sports fans have been customers of 1956 hotel and restaurant administration graduates Al Aronica and Jerry Burtenshaw. Their business partnership was born at Washington State University and has continued for five decades, through the leadership of the international foodservice company Alpine-Burtco. The company has provided concessions service to Washington landmarks including the Kingdome, the Tacoma Dome, Joe Albi stadium in Jerry Burtenshaw and Al Aronica together in Pullman 50 years after their graduation. Spokane, and Spokane Coliseum, as well as Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaksa. Aronica and Burtenshaw didn’t know one another when they arrived at Washington State University. Both were busy with work, school, and family obligations, and despite a small hospitality program—11 students graduated in their class—the two did not become friends until a senior class trip to California in 1956. As graduation approached, their attentions turned to employment, and they drove together to Bellingham, Washington, to interview with Alpine Cafeterias, a growing northwest restaurant chain owned by Jerry’s father Denver Burtenshaw. What seemed like an entertaining road trip was actually the beginning of a lifelong affiliation. After graduation, Aronica and Burtenshaw worked together to open an Alpine restaurant in Everett, and opened restaurants in Seattle and Tacoma in the early 1960s. In the meantime, they found themselves doing a lot of catering and concessions business, and a few years later they switched their focus to Alpine-Burtco. At WSU’s annual Diamond and Golden Graduate Reunion in April, both men were quick to smile as they recalled career highlights from five decades of partnership. While both Aronica and Burtenshaw served as past presidents of the Washington Restaurant Association and received numerous other accolades, their shared professional experiences provide the richest memories. “Opening the Kingdome was a thrill,” says Burtenshaw. “That was our first big contract.” Campus life was different in the 1950s, Aronica recounts. “We used to go to the dorm cafeterias and help out during lunch or dinner to get hands-on experience,” he says. “The facilities students have today are amazing.” Former Director Joseph Bradley was the cornerstone of the program during their years in Pullman, they said. “When we arrived, there weren’t many hotel programs on the West Coast,” says Burtenshaw. “Bradley and the other directors, and now Terry Umbreit, have created an outstanding small program with very few faculty or other resources. The program’s leaders through the years are responsible for our national reputation for quality and excellence.” Although he was president of the hospitality honorary Sigma Iota, Aronica didn’t spend his entire time at WSU in kitchens and classrooms. “The summer before I graduated, it cost $5 to golf for the entire summer at the WSU Golf Course,” he recalls. “I got in a lot of golf that summer!” WSU College of Business
colleagues are trying to find a way for every hospitality student to have an international experience. Already students can choose to study in Brig, Switzerland, for a semester at the University Center Cesar Ritz, one of Europe’s top hospitality management schools. Students in that program attend courses with faculty from both WSU and UCCR. Other choices for international study include a fiveweek summer program in Chaing Mai, Thailand, led by professor Dogan Gursoy, and another faculty-led program in Florence, Italy. Whether they are studying in the Swiss Alps or on the Palouse, Kevin Bennett, academic advisor for the school, agrees that there is something different about WSU hospitality students. “They are very social,” he said, and laughed. He contributed this to right-brain thinking that results in gregarious, creative, people-persons, who often are easy to pick out of a crowd of business majors. When it’s time to organize an event, he said, “for one group it’s like pulling teeth, and the other is bouncing off the walls Associate director Dennis Reynolds in Todd Hall. because they can’t wait to get started.” As Umbreit and his colleagues at the School of Hospitality Business Management look forward to its next quarter century, one has the sense that they too can’t wait to get started. —Hope Tinney Nationwide Events planned for the Anniversary Year Save the Date Don Smith Chain Restaurant Conference Revisited March 7–8, 2007 Pullman National Restaurant Show Reception May 19–22, 2007 (specific date to be determined) Hyatt Regency Hotel, Chicago 75th Anniversary Gala Special evening welcoming all graduates and 75th Anniversary Honorees June 21, 2007 The Westin Seattle New Culinary Educator joins SHBM The College of Business at Washington State University is pleased to announce that Jim Harbour has joined the School of Hospitality Business Management. Harbour will lead the School’s culinary education and catering services. Harbour brings 20 years of restaurant management experience into the classroom, including time spent at Pullman establishments Sella’s Calzone & Pizza and Basilio’s Restaurant, as well as Houston’s Restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona, and the Sawtooth Grill in Spokane, Washington. “I am excited about the opportunity to share my passion for food and people with others, and to devote my time and energy to work that is enjoyable and fulfilling,” says Harbour. “I am pleased to have found an academic environment and professional team that strives for excellence and demands what is best for students.” Harbour received his bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant administration with minors in business administration and nutrition from Washington State University, and his MBA from Gonzaga University in Spokane. Seattle Week Pre-Game Breakfast September 8, 2007 Near Qwest Field, Seattle Burtenshaw Lecture Celebration October 2007 Pullman Bay Area Anniversary Celebration November 3, 2007 (prior to WSU vs. California game) San Francisco International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show Reception November 10–13, 2007 (specific date to be determined) New York Dividend
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Page 39 and 40: MBA Internship Placement Shariar Ba
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Page 53 and 54: Member Profile Ryan Lockwood ’92
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