| The School of Hospitality Business | |
| Motto: | Spartans Will |
| Established: | 1927 |
| Type: | Public |
| City: | East Lansing |
| State: | Michigan |
| Country: | USA |
| Undergrad: | 350 |
| Website: | https://broad.msu.edu/hospitality-business/ |
| Director: | Dr. Karthik Namasivayam https://broad.msu.edu/profile/namasiv2/ |
The School of Hospitality Business is an industry-specific school within the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. Founded in 1927 as the nation's first business-based hotel training course, The School of Hospitality Business has 350 undergraduate students and 22 faculty members (endowed, tenured, and adjunct). The School of Hospitality Business is ranked #1 US Public Hospitality Business Program (College Choice, 2023); #2 US Public Program (the Edvocate, 2023); #3 Hospitality Management Degree Program (Successful Student, 2023); and #4 Hospitality Management Program in the World (CEO World, 2023). Students in The School can earn more than $300,000 each academic year in merit-based scholarships.
MSU's School of Hospitality Business was founded in 1927 when the Education Committee of the Michigan Hotel Association met to discuss development of a college-level hotel management school, after which Michigan State approved a hotel training course. When classes started, there were 18 students majoring in the hotel training course.[1]
In 1947, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation granted $1.4 million for construction of the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. That year, the program was also divided into three major areas of concentration: hotel management, restaurant management, and institutional management.
In 1951, Kellogg Center for Continuing Education was opened. The first general manager was Weldon Garrison, a 1946 graduate of The School of Hospitality Business. The school's offices were moved to the Kellogg Center, enrollment increased to approximately 300, and the Les Gourmets dinner-dance was founded as annual event.
In the 1960s, the Eppley Foundation granted the university $1.5 million to build the Eugene C. Eppley Center for Graduate Studies in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management. The school is still housed in this building. The School became the first program in the country to offer a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management, and enrollment reached 550.
In the 1980s, CAREER EXPO, the nation's leading hospitality career fair, was founded. Enrollment eclipsed 1,000. Dr. Ronald F. Cichy, an alumnus of the school, was appointed director of the school. The Visiting Distinguished Chefs Series was founded.
In the 1990s, the Hilton Lecture Series was founded, the school’s internship office was renamed the Student and Industry Resource Center (SIRC) and was endowed for $1 million, the First Annual Hospitality Association/Alumni Association Auction was held in the Kellogg Center, the Michael L. Minor Master of Science in Food Service Management was launched as a complement to the school’s MBA in hospitality business, and the Hospitality Association offered its first Vegas Night.
In the 2000s, the school became independent within the Eli Broad College of Business, the school's Alumni Association published 75th anniversary history book The Legacy of the Leader, the master's degree in hospitality business and the graduate specialization in hospitality business were launched, and faculty developed and launched the Hospitality Business Real Estate and Development Specialization for undergraduates.
In 2014, the school launched 12 mini-courses that will be only available online, such as "Introduction to Hospitality and Information Systems," "Private Club and Gaming Operations," and "Foodservice and Lodging Operations." "These mini-courses feature the same content found in the three full 8-week courses, enabling students to complete the same Management Certificate in the Business of Hospitality credential in smaller segments.[2]
The School of Hospitality Business offers the following programs:
Among universities specifically with degree-granting hospitality programs, MSU was ranked ninth (or seventh among such universities in the United States), in terms of weighted-publication-count (2002-2006) in English-language research journals specific to the hospitality industry.[3] The School’s faculty was ranked number one by the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research in “mean productivity” from 1992–2001, and in having "the most intensely" contributing authors amongst the Top 20 universities. In another study, reported on by the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, a half dozen faculty members of The School of Hospitality Business were named among “Hospitality’s Most Influential Scholars.” The faculty also received the 2006 Richard J. Lewis Quality of Excellence Award for outstanding leadership.
Faculty include:
Students graduate with a business degree and develop leadership skills through two required internships, participation in nine student clubs, and three major annual events.
Undergraduate students have the opportunity to join the Spartan Sponsors Mentor Program, which pairs each student with an alumnus/a who shares the student's career interest to provide advice, knowledge, support and shared connections.