Shila Bowron Leadership Lecture 9/26/2019   Learning from leading industry professionals provides students with career possibilities along with networking opportunities. Thanks to Jennifer Gowers, owner and principle planner of GoPro Event Solutions, who shared her path to success with our hospitality management students at the Shila Bowron Leadership Lecture. The event was sponsored by Bill Bowron, CEO of Red Diamond. The lecture series, named in honor of Bowron’s mother, began in 2002 to introduce students to a variety of hospitality leaders and their perspectives of the hospitality industry. Supporting Student Success 5/14/2019   Dr. Chen Dr. Shatina Chen, assistant professor in Human Nutrition & Hospitality Management, was nominated to receive recognition through the Extra Credit program in Parent & Family Programs. The Extra Credit program is an initiative within the Division of Student Life that gives parents and family members the opportunity to nominate faculty and staff members who have made a unique difference to their UA student. Nominations are collected each semester and recipients are notified with a letter and small token of appreciation. Below are the comments a parent submitted for Dr. Chen: “Dr. Chen has been a wonderful mentor to our daughter Megan this past year. She has offered Megan the opportunity to grow and develop within her major and has provided guidance on career exploration. During their trip to Las Vegas, Dr. Chen took a great interest in finding out about all of her students that were attending. When my daughter mentioned she had been looking for employment, Dr. Chen interviewed her for a position in her department. Megan has enjoyed working with Dr. Chen in CHES and has mentioned many times how Dr. Chen has given her advice for interviews, job hunting, etc. It is nice to know that she takes an interest in her students outside the classroom.” It is evident that the students with whom Dr. Chen works benefit from her teaching and service. We congratulate Dr. Chen on receiving this well-deserved recognition. The Rewards of Extraordinary Effort 5/8/2019   CHES 2019 Coordinated Program in Dietetics graduates Time to Celebrate! It takes unwavering determination to push through the Coordinated Program in Dietetics at CHES but the rewards are great. Students who complete the program, get two of the requirements for becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist out the way at one time. This option combines the theory presented in class with experience in health care settings under the supervision of faculty or other health professionals. After graduation, students are eligible to take the national examination to become registered dietitians. Admission to the Coordinated Program, which is currently accredited by The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, is competitive. Students apply in the fall or spring semester of their junior year. Admission decisions are based on overall GPA, grades in relevant courses, score on the admission exam, work/volunteer/leadership experience, class attendance, professionalism, and letters of reference. Once admitted, students spend 12-16 months in the program depending upon when they apply. They enter a unique phase of their college education. No longer traditional college students, they have accepted the additional role of “professional-in-training.” This new role carries a greater responsibility and commitment to class attendance, timeliness, attire and other factors which directly relate to job performance and professional presentation. ​The junior and senior years require more time on the student's part than normally would be encountered in a traditional college program. Students take a full class load each semester while working at a supervised practice facility. They complete many hours of practical or supervised practice hours in clinical, community nutrition, foodservice management, long-term care, and dietetics management and communication rotations. For most, a 40-hour work week is the norm in the fall and spring semesters of the senior year. Students work alongside dietitians in hospitals, nursing homes, health departments, employee wellness programs, and non-profit agencies. On Thursday, May 2, seniors from the coordinated program in dietetics participate in a special graduation ceremony that recognizes the hard work and dedication it took to accomplish this feat. ​ “Our 20 coordinated program graduates not only complete their degree here at UA, but also complete over 1200 hours of supervised practice at healthcare facilities in the community. I am so proud of their hard work this past year and cannot wait to see what their future holds as Registered Dietitian Nutritionists,” says Lori Greene, MS, RD, LD, director of the Coordinated Program in Dietetics. ​Hospitality students learn from industry Leaders 2/25/2019   Bill Bennett, general manager of The Lodge at Gulf State Park, will speak at the Shila Bowron Leadership Lecture on Thursday, February 28 at The University of Alabama’s Child Development Research Center. The hospitality management program in The College of Human Environmental Sciences hosts the event which is sponsored by Bill Bowron, CEO of Red Diamond. The lecture series, named in honor of Bowron’s mother, began in 2002 to introduce students to a variety of hospitality leaders and their perspectives of the hospitality industry. Lectures take place at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Students who attend will benefit from the advice of a hotel executive who brings a wealth of experience in hotel sales and marketing, hotel operational effectiveness, revenue management and asset repositioning.  Bill Bennett joined Valor Hospitality Partners in June of 2013 as general manager of the Crowne Plaza Charlotte. In that role, he successfully led his team through a $10 million property-wide renovation and completely transformed a 30-year-old Marriott Hotel into a top Crowne Plaza brand performer. Prior to joining Valor, Bennett’s leadership roles included director of sales, regional director of sales and general manager for various brands including Marriott, Westin, Sheraton and Hilton. He has won numerous accolades for his efforts including Hotel of the Year, Sales Team of the Year, Director of Sales of the Year and the All Green Zone award with Hilton for four consecutive years. ​ His knowledge and experience provide a sound foundation for his current role at The Lodge at Gulf State Park, a Hilton hotel. WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS? 10/29/2018   From left to right: Avery Randall, Shatina Chen, Melissa Bryant, Alvin Niuh, Brittany Bordelon, Siobhan McGorty, Cass Bodne, Megan Reder , Stephanie Achilli, Lucie Calhoun and Michaela Taylor. A group of 9 HES students attended the worldwide meetings industry gathering, IMEX 2018, held in Las Vegas recently. The IMEX convention is the largest event for hospitality, meetings and travel professionals. More than 13,000 people participated in the gathering which featured 3,500 exhibitors representing 150 countries. Businesses represented included hotel chains, event management companies, convention visitor bureaus, destination and travel service companies, event suppliers and more. Students like ours had opportunities to participate in a leadership forum, experience exhibits on the show floor and network with industry and association experts, as well as meet hospitality students from all over the world. The trip included a meeting with MGM executives to learn about hotel operations and marketing. MGM Grand Vice President of Sales, Ernest Stovell, arranged a tour to see MGM’s new convention center project. At Bellagio, Food and Beverage Director Amanda Cohen gave a tour of the hotel’s fine dining restaurants. HES faculty members, Alvin Niuh and Dr. Shatina Chen, who accompanied our students maintain that they learned as much as their students did. The group also visited with hospitality management alumna, Cierra Barrios. Cierra shared her experience working at Mandalay Bay and gave the students some sound career advice. According to Dr. Chen, “It [IMEX 2018] really opened their eyes to understand types of convention business and career opportunities in the hospitality industry. We have talked about these businesses in class, but this convention showed them what they can do with a hospitality major in the future.” ​ Check out videos below for details of this great student experience – in their own words.   <<Previous

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