UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The School of Hospitality Management (SHM) is celebrating its 10th annual Alumni in the Classroom event Wednesday, Oct. 7, and Thursday, Oct. 8.
A record 86 alumni are returning to SHM classrooms for the massive alumni outreach program that provides students with an opportunity to learn firsthand about the careers they are pursuing.
The two-day program includes alumni serving as guest speakers during regular classes, as well as special roundtable discussions with students and faculty. Alumni discuss a number of issues, including corporate social responsibility, casino marketing, hotel management and organizational behavior.
"Seeing so many alumni return to interact with students and faculty in our 10th year of hosting this event is an example of the power of the Penn State network,” said Brian Black, director of hospitality industry relations and event organizer. “An idea that started with the late Harvey Kamp — a 1970 graduate and former director of alumni and industry relations for the school and member of the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society board of directors — has grown each year to become one of the most impactful events to connect alumni with students to share real world experiences."
In conjunction with the Alumni in the Classroom event, the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society Alumni Awards Reception will be held at the Nittany Lion Inn Oct. 7, where several SHM alumni will receive honors, including William Kohl Sr., who will be named Alumni of the Year.
Kohl, who graduated from Penn State in 1985, is one of three principals of Greenwood Hospitality, an independent hotel management company, which manages 14 properties with six under development.
Alumni to be honored for their industry achievement include Richard Budney, a 1985 graduate and market vice president of human resources at Sodexo; Daniel Entenberg, a 2001 graduate and general manager at Gramercy Park Hotel; and Rob Tanenbaum, a 1989 graduate and chief operating officer and executive vice president of asset management at DiamondRock Hospitality.
Undergraduate alumni to be honored as emerging professionals include April Judy, a 2008 graduate and general manager of Candlewood Suites; Dana Katz, a 2009 graduate and senior analyst of business intelligence at Host Hotels & Resorts; Deborah Surden, a 2005 graduate and area manager at Expedia Lodging Partner Services; and Chris Talley, a 2009 graduate and global campus recruiting manager at Aramark.
A graduate alumnus to be honored as an emerging professional is Qu Xiao, who earned a graduate degree in 2007 and is an associate professor of hotel strategy and investment at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.