Back in the Swing of Things

Hello fellow HB students!

It’s that time of the year. The new semester has officially begun and it is time to get back to the grind.

As we return from our (hopefully) relaxing winter breaks, it’s hard to get your mind back to the issues at hand: schoolwork, club involvement, and employment on/off campus…the list goes on. Thankfully The School provides with us ample opportunities to jump right back into the swing of things.  In the spring semester alone, three of The School’s premier events will take place: Vegas Night, Destination Auction, and Les Gourmets.

The best thing about these wonderful events is that they encourage participation from students at every level of involvement. Whether it’s your first or fourth time volunteering, all help is appreciated.

Now I know that it is easy to brush these events aside with excuses of being too busy or forgetting the dates, but let’s step up and show everyone (friends, family, faculty, and alumni) how proud we are to be Spartans. It’s time to give back to the very institution that has given us so much.

I can’t wait to see all of your lovely faces at these events.

See you around Spartans.

Destination Auction Update!!!

Hey Kids!!

The end of the semester is looming in the future, thank goodness for Thanksgiving and being able to take a bit of a break before it really gets crazy!!!

We’ve had a great year this year but we are still looking forward to the future and we are anticipating the best Alumni Auction ever next semester!

Here’s a snapshot of where we are now:

• Almost $50,000 in donations and more coming in everyday
• An AMAZING turn out of student volunteer sign-ups at HA Open House
• 2 great fundraisers

Student CEO Laurel Smith and her team is doing an amazing job so far!! So all y’all who are interested save the date: February 11, 2012 and make your destination that night Destination Auction!

 

All of our clubs and events are doing amazing things! Check them all out here!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Good luck with finals!!

Homecoming! (and other current happenings)

Hello Spartans!

Homecoming weekend is upon us! All week long HB students have been hard at work to create this year’s float for the Homecoming Parade. Last year, The School of Hospitality Business proudly claimed first place in the float building competition and students are seeking once again to defend that title. It was great to see all of the students who were present to help make that goal a reality!

This weekend also marks an exciting milestone for The School: the opening of the Culinary Business Learning Lab, or the CBLL for short. The extremely impressive renovation to the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center features a demonstration theater, a teaching and research kitchen and dining room, chef’s office, gathering space, display gallery, and The School’s Alumni Association Hall of Fame. Events celebrating the grand opening include a ribbon cutting ceremony to be attended by donors who contributed to the construction of the CBLL.

As Homecoming passes, we must not forget that it is about that time for students to tweak their elevator speeches and prepare for Career Expo, November 1st & 2nd. Also, student representatives of The School have already begun to prep for the International National Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Show the weekend of November 11th through 14th.

It’s a busy, hectic time of year, but I must implore you; stay sharp Spartans.

Until next time!

October already!

Well hey there, fellow HB-ers!

I can’t believe its October already – I’m loving this fall weather!  As many of you know – because we saw your bright smiling faces in attendance – the HA Open House was last week.  It seems to be that The School’s activities are in full swing – what’s not to love?!?

A few things to keep in mind – Homecoming is coming up!  You know what that means – time to put your creativity to good use and help make the float.  We at The School have a title to defend – we won Best Float last year.  Let’s make it happen again!  Stay tuned to HA’s weekly emails for more info

Also – make sure you mark November 1 & 2  on your calendars.  CAREER EXPO is just around the corner and we want to make sure you YOU get the internship or job you want!  So dust off those resumes and get ready!

Lastly, a big congrats to all the students selected to go on the annual trip to NYC for the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show! Let’s make HB proud!

WE are THE School!!!

Welcome On Back!

Hey Kids!

Welcome back to good Ol’ MSU! Lots of things happened this summer and we can’t wait to hear all about your summer adventures! This summer, Kelsey spent her time in Northern Michigan at Bay Harbor, Natalie spent her summer in Maryland at Baltimore Country Club, and I spent my time working in Chicago at both the Elysian Hotel as well as Moto Restaurant. (I also spent 6 weeks in Europe on a study abroad and traveling!)

But there is a TON of exciting new things happening at The School! This is our 85th year, and we cannot be prouder! 85 years of amazing students who have such a phenomenal impact on the industry, 85 years of learning, growing, and developing, and of course 85 years of fun!

We are also anticipating the opening of the Culinary Business Learning Lab in Kellogg Center in about a month! Construction is still underway, but classes have already begun to take place in the renovated space! After the grand opening and ribbon cutting in October at Homecoming, The School will have a state-of-the-art demonstration theater, teaching kitchen, dining room, and gallery. Check out the progress below!

So what awesome events are coming up for students??

Sept 28- HA Open House at Kellogg

Oct 1- Deadline to sign up for Spartan Sponsors

Oct 17-22- MSU Homecoming

Nov 1- Career Expo

Also, be watching for the launch of the NEW School of Hospitality Business website!

Have a great weekend and GO SPARTANS, Beat the Irish!

Tootles! <3 Emily

Countdown til Summer!!

Hey hey!! Summer is on its way here at MSU, although with the snow and cold weather, it may not seem like it. There is only a week and a half left of classes and then finals week after. Students are busy wrapping up classes and getting ready for internships! Check out some of the places our students will be heading this summer:

• Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Chicago
• Baltimore Country Club, Maryland
• Sheraton, Sydney Australia
• Congressional Country Club, Washington D.C.
• Westin, San Francisco
• Bay Harbor Yacht Club, Michigan
• Elysian Hotel, Chicago
• Hilton Oceanfront Resort, Hilton Head South Carolina
• Hillstone, New York

We would also like to Congratulate the Les Gourmets team for an awesome job on this year’s 60th Anniversary Heart of Europe! Even with the location change from Kellogg to the Union (due to construction on The School’s Culinary Business Learning Lab) the event was quite a success! Check out the picts!

Reception

Reception Entertainment

Dinner

Heart of House

Student Servers

Also, we would like to introduce and welcome Natalie Fort to the public relations team! We are very excited to have her join the program and can’t wait to see how she will add to the team!

Natalie

Natalie is currently a sophomore Hospitality Business major interested in the private club industry. She is a member of the Club Managers Association of America e-board and holds the position of Director of Human Resources for Alumni Auction 2012.  Her past work experiences at Michigan State include working as the Undergraduate Class Assistant for HB 100, the Introduction to Hospitality course, as well as a Research Assistant for Dr. Bonnie Knutson at The School of Hospitality Business. Natalie is from Midland, MI and is the 3rd of her siblings to attend Michigan State University.  She completed her first internship at Westmoreland Country Club in Wilmette, IL and will be completing her second this summer at Baltimore Country Club in Baltimore, MD.

Congrats to all on a wonderful Spring Semester and good luck on your upcoming internships and all those graduating! Thank you Graduates for all your hard work and efforts to continually improve The School! We will miss you but are very excited to welcome some new students to the program in the Fall!

REAL Opportunities Galore!

Hey Hey!

Hope everyone had a wonderful spring break!! While most of you were basking in the warmth and glow of sunny FL, I spent my break interviewing for summer internships back home in Chicago. Although the weather only reached a high of about 55 degrees while I was home, I landed a sweet food and beverage internship with Chicago’s Elysian Hotel that I am psyched about!! I also spent a lot of time with friends from back home and eating at some amazing restaurants!

So what’s new with The School??? Lot’s of fun things are happening…first of all we have had a lot of perspective students come and visit, which of course we love! It’s great to get a chance to see the school, meet some current students, and check out what we are all about! The School has also developed a new Real Estate Institute.

What exactly is a Real Estate Institute??? Well first of all, its important to know that The School offers a Real Estate & Development Specialization. (Kinda like a minor!) The specialization only requires a few extra classes and is perfect if you are looking into buying and selling hospitality real estate as a career. Like all of our hospitality students, those with the specialization must complete internships in the real estate field (our Student & Industry Resource Center will help you find one!).

The Real Estate Institute has brought on alumni and former VP of Marriott Richard Ferrar as the founding Director to direct students on Real Estate issues along with the help and advice of a very talented Real Estate Advisory Council.

The Institute allows students the opportunity to combine operations experience with development and acquisition of hotels and properties. And of course there are plenty of enrichment opportunities with the Real Estate Investment Club, tours, and other amazing on-campus events!

Real Estate Opportunities!

One of my favorite things about hospitality and particularly The School is the ability to go into so many different sectors of the industry. Who says you can only be a manager at a hotel, when there are so many other facets? Not us! Why not check out opportunities in Real Estate or event planning or becoming a food critic? If you’re willing to go for it, the opportunities are endless

Don’t forget, Les Gourmets is coming up in just a few weeks! And if you are still searching for the perfect internship for the summer, check out the Job Alert Bulletin from SIRC!

Peace! Emily

Viva Las Vegas!

Why hello there, HB-ers!!!

Here it is –  the night we’ve all been waiting for – VEGAS NIGHT! 

For those of you who are as of yet unfamiliar with Vegas Night,  listed below is the event description from their website:

Vegas Night is one of the premier events for The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University.  This one-night charity gaming casino is run by 15 students in The School, with the help of over 100 fellow hospitality student volunteers.  All students, faculty, and members of the MSU/East Lansing community are invited to come out to support us, as well as play all of their favorite casino games!

The event includes games such as blackjack, roulette, craps, poker, bingo, and of course, the money wheel!  It also host a 100-person poker tournament alongside the casino.  Over 500 guests participated in last year’s event and some even walked away with huge payouts!   This event is a great opportunity for students to learn about the gaming industry and the execution of a large event!

ADMISSION in to Casino: $5 to enter, including free food & beverages.  Additional chips can be purchased in the casino!  Full Casino will be located in the Spartan Stadium Skybox.
 

*PARKING for the event will be available in the Stadium parking lot!  

So come on out and support The School of Hospitality Business and Vegas Night 2010: “Bringing a New Game to Spartan Stadium“.

So there you have it, folks!  Be sure to stop by to support your fellow students, and keep your fingers crossed – you just might win big!!!

What’s Cooking in Hospitality???

What up!?!?

Things here at The School are really charging forward into this semester! It’s hard to believe that it is already 1/3 of the way over!! Students put on an amazing 20th Anniversary Hollywood Auction last week and on February 25th, they will put on Vegas Night 2011, where students and the public will be able to experience the world of Casinos and gaming.

Students are also hard at work on the 60th Les Gourmets black tie dinner. This year’s theme is “The Heart of Europe”. This multi-course event is completely student directed and run. See what Nate Redner, Director of Heart of House has to say about progress in recipe development for the event:

Les Gourmets is two months away and Heart of House has begun testing recipes for this years culinary tour. In the past two weeks we have tested every recipe from reception sampling hors d’oeuvres from Polish, Hungarian, Austrian and German descent. Thus far the crowd favorites have been the Hungarian scallion blintzes with wild mushroom ragout filling and the Polish aged white cheddar pierogi’s with traditional accompaniments and herb oil. I think that people will also be pleasantly surprised when they try the borscht shooter we will be serving during reception. For the daring diners who are willing to try something new, we will not disappoint. The menu that the Heart of House team and I have worked to put together was inspired by traditional dishes that have been modernized to put our own unique signature on each dish while maintaining the integrity of the cuisine. Familiar favorites are paired with new and interesting flavors to create a truly memorable experience. We all need to eat so why not eat well. As James Beard once said “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”

Check out the amazing YouTube video of a previous year’s Les Gourmets!

Want to get involved?? Check out what our other amazing clubs and organizations are up to by visiting The School’s website! And if you still need an internship for this summer, stop by the Student and Industry Resource Center or check out the SIRC website!

That’s all folks! Happy Valentine’s Day and I’ll catch ya around! <3 Emily

An Inside Look at Externships

Hello Hello!

It’s crazy to think that we are already THREE weeks into the semester – time sure does fly around The School of Hospitality Business.  For one of our students, Paul Finstad, the hustle & bustle of the industry continued through winter break while doing an externship at on of Starwood’s many properties.  Let’s hear what Paul had to say about this awesome experience!

I spent part of my winter break in the beautiful San Diego doing a Starwood externship at The W San Diego! During the week I was there I shadowed the Director of Housekeeping or “Style” as they call it at The W. It was an amazing experience and I learned a lot. I started out my week doing room inspections as well as preparing show rooms for investors who were coming to look at the property. One day, I got to get my hands dirty and help one of the housekeepers or “stylists” clean rooms and experience all the work and details that go into cleaning guest rooms. I learned how to order supplies in a matter that would meet the monthly budget which is really important in difficult times such as these. While I was there I put together a power-point presentation for the stylists that focused on a different aspect of the rooms that needed extra cleaning each day. This broad externship experience was just what I needed to decide I want to go into the lodging side of hospitality. This was truly an amazing experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Paul Surfing in California

Paul is also currently working as one our School’s beloved SIRC staff members, so he is definitely the person to talk to about making the most of internship and externship opportunities!  Be sure to stop by and see him if you have any questions.

Just a reminder that the Les Gourmets “Heart of Europe” open house is TONIGHT in the Lake Ontario Room of the Union.  It starts at 7:00pm – be sure to stop by to get involved in this great event!  If you can’t make the open house but still want to volunteer, please email their HR team at lesgourmetsHR@gmail.com.

Another thing of interest is the Landshark Fundraiser for the 20th Annual Alumni Auction taking place tomorrow night (Thursday, January 27) from 7:00pm-11:30pm.  Everyone 18 and older is invited to attend to support this great event!  Hope to see many of you there!!!

Other than that, have a good week and stay warm

Kelsey