Your Mom Wants You to Volunteer.

Hello again faithful readers (to those of who aren’t so faithful, get your acts together!), today we embark on a noble quest to discover the secrets of life. Okay, but really, we asked our fellow HBer to tell you a little about getting involved in The School. I turn this television program…I mean radio program…I mean reading program over to Miss Emily Smith, Auctionaire Extraordinaire:

Emily Smith (far right) poses with Donation Directors after Les Gourmets 2009

Hi everyone, my name is Emily, and I am a senior at Michigan State and in my third year in The School of Hospitality Business. I came to Michigan State as a freshman planning to be a human biology major in preparation for medical school. By the end my first semester, it became more and more clear to me that I was in the wrong major. While vacationing at a beautiful resort in Northern Michigan, I found my passion in hotels and resorts. During second semester, I discovered The School of Hospitality Business, met with an advisor, and changed my major. Joining HB was one of the best decisions of my life! Starting off my first semester as a member of The School was not what I anticipated. The School’s students were all very close-knit, and as a new HB major, I felt like I didn’t know anyone. At some point during my process of switching to hospitality, I was told that becoming involved would help me meet people and build my resume. So I decided to attend our Hospitality Association’s Open House. At the HA Open House, the clubs and events within The School set up stations where students can sign up to join the clubs or volunteer or the events. I signed up for all four of the events that night: CAREER EXPO, Les Gourmets, Auction, and Vegas Night. Each HB event at which I volunteered provided me with a unique experience in hospitality. As a first-time server at Les Gourmets, I was able to get first-hand experience in the food and beverage segment of the industry. I was able to develop a personal connection with my guests, helping to create a memorable night for all.  By seeing all of the hard work that went into each event and through my own experiences volunteering, I was inspired me to take on a larger role. I ran for the executive boards for Auction and Les Gourmets. At the end of my sophomore year, I was selected to be the director of donations for Les Gourmets 2009 and the director of remote bidding for Auction 2009. At the end of my junior year, I applied to be the CEO for Auction 2010 and after a number of interviews, was chosen. Now, in my senior year, as CEO of Auction, I have gained experiences far beyond that which are present in the classroom.  Each year, Auction has a theme and I am particularly excited to be a part of this year’s Jazz Auction which will take place February 6, 2010 at the Kellogg center. Volunteers are always welcome! If you are interested, please email our Human Resources director Morgan Zahul at zahulmor@msu.edu. I can’t stress the importance of volunteering enough! Not only is it beneficial for your resume, it is personally rewarding as well!

Thank you, Emily! Kelsey says she’s def going to volunteer!

Have a very wonderful Thanksgiving everyone.  Get pumped for Turkey (or ToFurkey, if you’re Andrew Bromley)!

Over and Out,

Lauren

New York, New York!

Hey, everybody!  By now, I’m sure you’ve all read Lauren’s post about her time in NYC and seeing as how I can’t let her have all the fun, I thought I’d share my New York adventure as well.  As Lauren mentioned, The School takes between 50 and 60 students to New York City every year for the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show and for The School’s Celebration of Leadership reception put on by The School’s very own Alumni Relations Director, Lena Loeffler, at the Waldorf=Astoria.  For those of you who haven’t met Lena, I strongly recommend that you do!  She’s pretty great. =)

This was my third trip with The School to New York, and each time, it is just as amazing as the year before.  By participating in hotel & restaurant tours, professional development seminars, fabulous receptions (not to mention free-time to experience New York City!), students really have an awesome opportunity to learn about the industry and grow as student leaders.

This year was no different.  Lauren and I left for Detroit Airport  way too early on Friday morning, and after 1) almost missing our plane, and 2) entertaining other passengers with a detailed account of Lauren’s “awesome-ness”, we boarded the plane and headed for the Big Apple.  Friday was pretty much on our own time – and we definitely made the most of it!  Along with Maggie Ferrara and Jessica Clark (2 HBers whom you should also probably meet if you haven’t already),  we checked our bags at the hotel, and headed off to see Time Square.  We got our picture taken with Sponge Bob and Elmo (I mean, who wouldn’t),  hit up an Irish Pub for lunch, and checked out some of the shops, including a music store where we found a collection of over 100,000 vintage records – it was pretty sweet.  Lauren already told you about the Comedy Club, and I agree with her – it was awesome – definitely an experience!

Saturday was jam-packed with varied forms of  professional development.  We toured the Waldorf, ate delicious treats from the kitchen, took many picture “being presidential” in the presidential suite, and learned about the complex operations system it takes to successfully run a place like the Waldorf=Astoria.  We attended the Celebration of Leadership reception which was just as fabulous as ever!  Since my freshman year, I’ve had the privilege  to work for Lena as her assistant.  I’m always amazed by her dedication and committment to The School and its students.  On behalf of Lauren and myself, Lena, thanks for all you do!

Talking to the wall...it happens.

After the reception on Saturday night, I was able to meet up with a friend from highschool who recently moved to NYC.  It was so cool!  Not only was it great to catch up with her, but she also served as an excellent tour guide!  We only had a few hours to hang out, but we managed to cover most of Manhattan, including Grand Central Station.  Tiff (my friend from highschool) showed us this domed spot in Grand Central Station where if you stand at opposite ends, facing the wall, you can whisper into the wall and it sounds like the person on the other end is standing right next to you!  It’s so cool!  So, naturally, I spent a good 15-20 minutes talking into a wall with Tiff at the other end talking back.  We may or may not have gotten a few weird looks from people, but that’s really not important.

On Sunday, after a tour of the Red Lobster in Time Square (where I won a gift card in a raffle! WOOT WOOT!), I headed over the Javits Center to work at our booth.  I don’t know if any of you have been to a trade show in the mid-Michigan area, but if you have, multiply that by 1000 and you have the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show.  It goes on forever!  Seriously!  If you are looking for anything even remotely related to the hotel industry, you could probably find it there.  Definitely apply to join The School in New York next November – you won’t regret it.

Posing with Lena Loeffler (center) before the Reception.

We ended our trip with our traditional visit to La Mela for a four-course family style Italian dinner.  It was phenomenal- not only the food, but the atmosphere and energy of the place.  Amidst delicious food, fun, friends, and serenades from two elderly Italians, we ended our trip on a good note (pun!).  Like Lauren said, hospitality is about doing what you love with people you care about, enjoying the time you have, and creating the memories that last.

‘Cause Everyone’s Your Friend in New York City…

This past weekend, Miss Kelsey and I were lucky enough to travel to New York City with The School of Hospitality Business. Each year, The School takes about 50 students to NYC to stay at the Waldorf=Astoria, participate in professional development programs, network and attend the International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show. Kelsey and I have each attended for three years and every time it is an amazing experience! So basically, I just wanted to take a moment to tell you about a few of my favorite things that we did this year both with The School and on our own time. Kelsey will be here later to tell you about her favorites…If I don’t steal her thunder that is.

Maggie, Kelsey, Jessica and by the famous clock in the Waldorf=Astoria Lobby before heading to Times Square

We arrived in the Big Apple in late morning on Friday and after checking our bags at the Waldorf, ventured into Times Square to find the TKTS booth and some lunch. In case you don’t know, the TKTS booth sells discounted Broadway tickets during the day for shows taking place later that night.  Kelsey and I, along with our friends and fellow HBers, Jessica and Maggie, wanted to find a cheap broadway show to see later. Along the way, we were stopped and solicited by a man selling tickets to the Broadway Comedy Club for later that night. Promising that we’d have reserved VIP seats and that the show was being taped for MTV, the dude offered to sell us discounted tickets. After Kelsey asked “Is this legit?” and noting that we are in fact pretty cool and therefore agreeing that we are in fact probably VIP (he clearly saw VIP written all over our confused faces as we wandered about Times Square), we took the guy up on his offer. This was probably a risky decision but nonetheless at 9:45pm we arrived at the Broadway Comedy Club decked out in our finest, ready to be treated like royalty only to find that every other totally normal person that made up the lengthy line forming was apparently also quite VIP. Once in, our VIP tables were actually 6 foot folding tables which we had to share with another party as we crammed into a basement room. Probably a credit to the good naturedeness of our true VIPness, we all took these minor let downs in stride and took a seat. Just 15 minutes later we were nearly falling out of our chairs laughing at the stand up comedians! 3 of the 7 were completely hilarious,  3 were pretty much not funny at all and/or totally creepy and one was a marginally funny dude. All in all, I had a blast! It was definitely worth the ten bucks and the five of us (our friend Stephanie joined us) really enjoyed ourselves. It was definitely one of my favorite experiences in New York and I’m not gonna lie, I feel pretty cool saying I’ve been to a Comedy Club in New York City.

Signing Presidential documents as I sit at President Eisenhower's desk in the Presidential Suite of the Waldorf=Astoria

My other favorite experience took place Saturday morning. After an informational presentation by the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel Manager and some break out sessions lead by recent MSU Hospitality grads, I and the other students got to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Waldorf. We got to see the ballroom, starlight room, president’s suite and kitchens. In the bakery, the pastry chef offered us some delicious pastries and in the main kitchen, the sous chef offered us some tasty appetizers! I’ve been on the same tour three times and each time, I learn something new and really interesting about the Waldorf’s rich history and impressive operations. I love hearing the funny and outlandish stories that Waldorf employees share about their experiences on the job and its great to get a better perspective on life in the industry.

Kelsey and I at La Mela in Little Italy

Those other two things were pretty awesome, but my all time favorite part of traveling to NYC is the Sunday night dinner that is a tradition every year for the HB students. As many of us as we can get to go, gather in the Waldorf lobby and travel to (this year in two limos!) to La Mela, a family owned Italian restaurant in the heart of Little Italy. 18 of us sat at a long table and ordered the 4 course family style meal complete with bread, caprese salad, rigatoni, tortellini, gnocci, asparagus, stuffed mushrooms, red peppers, veal, shrimp and chicken. With endless amounts of food, we were all quickly stuffed and had an awesome time hanging out, getting to know each other and celebrating a great weekend in New York City. Occasionally serenaded by La Mela employees, Luigi and Lorenzo, who played mean mandolins, we sang along, danced a little and toasted our last night in the big city. Shouting “AAAYYY!!!” with each new course, laughing loudly at our own jokes and yelling to friends at the opposite end of the table, I think we quickly became popular among the other guests at the restaurant. Afterwards, we ventured over to Ferrara’s, a famous Italian dessert shop, where we devoured some gellato and cannolis. The trip to La Mela each year is my favorite because I think it, to me, epitomizes hospitality. Hospitality is about meaningful experiences shared with friends and family, it’s about enjoying great food, music and dancing and its about appreciating the moment as you create memories that last for years to come. As cheesy as that may be, it is truly how I feel as I depart from New York, pockets a little poorer, experiences a little richer and memories a little more wonderful.

I’ll end with some lyrics from a song by They Might be Giants, called New York City. It pretty much sums up the trip for all of us who went.

“Everyone’s your friend in New York City/ and everything looks beautiful when you’re young and pretty/The streets are paved with diamonds and there’s just so much to see.”

EXPO Exposed

Good mrning world! Today I’m going to tell you about the next exciting event in The School of Hospitality Business and you’re gonna like it! Right now, I, along with the rest of the executive board, am gearing up for CAREER EXPO on Tuesday, November 3^rd. (That’s 2 days away! Aaah!) So basically, CAREER EXPO is The School’s career fair for hospitality. This year, over 100 recruiters from 55 companies across the nation are attending. Over 700 students attend, some hoping to score their first, next or best internships, others looking for their dream jobs after graduation and many volunteering to help the E-board with the event so that everything runs smoothly! During the day, companies sign in and set up their booths while students attend Professional Development Programs. These programs give students the opportunity to listen to and interact with industry professionals who give presentations on a variety of topics. This year, there are 11 programs, whose topics include personal finance, social networking, careers in gaming and transforming event spaces. There is also a keynote address from Pete Boyd, the Senior Vice President of Operations for The Venetian and The Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas! At 5:30, the career fair begins! Students flock to the company booths to make that amazing first impression, hand out resumes and sign up for interviews that take place the following day. With so many people running around on the day of EXPO, it’s a pretty busy atmosphere and preparing for it takes a lot of work!

I hold the very important and prestigious position of Director of Industry Relations and Registration. This means I’m not only awesome but more awesome than Kelsey who is merely a CAREER EXPO Corporate Ambassador (The School of Hospitality Business speak for career fair volunteer). On a more serious note, there are a lot of responsibilities to take care of before Tuesday. Maybe I should be working on them instead of blogging…hmm. Anyhoo, all semester the E-board has been inviting companies, contacting recruiters, marketing the career fair, preparing for the recruiter reception and breakfast and lots more. It’s been really fun getting to know the rest of the executive board and seeing all our hard work coming together in these last few days has been really rewarding!

I hope you get the chance to stop by the career fair or go to a professional development program or if you’re in the industry, maybe your company can register to attend next year! Good luck to all on their job searches! It’s going to be a busy week for all but definitely a great one! Signing Off- Lauren

Lauren has worked under the direction of Stephanie Stephens, the executive director for CAREER EXPO. Stephanie has done a great job overseeing the planning for the event!

Coming Home to Hospitality

Hey everyone.  We hope you all had a wonderful homecoming week – full of friends, food, and football!  That certainly was the case around the HB office.  We had 7 events in 70 hours – talk about busy!  As promised, here is a look at our homecoming week:

Students meet with HB grad, Richard Farrar (BA '73).

We attended Spartan Sponsors where we had the opportunity to meet with alumni of The School.  It’s always so exciting to hear the stories of former HB students who had participated in all of the same events while they were students, and who are now successful leaders in the hospitality industry!

Gary Hernbroth, an HB grad, offers advice to students.

Friday morning, we dressed up all fancy-like and sat in on the Alumni Board of Directors meeting.  We met with the Marketing & Public Relations Committee and presented our PR efforts to the board. As per the usual, we rocked our presentation, impressing everyone with our stunning wit, intellect, and fashion sense – another typical day in the lives of Kelsey and Lauren.   Seriously though, with advice and guidance from the alumni, all of whom are so knowledgeable in the hospitality industry, we have a lot to look forward to with PR!

We posed with Chris Durso, the Chairman of the Marketing and PR Committee and our fearless leader!

Friday afternoon brought with it the Homecoming Parade and post-parade tailgate.  We’d like take a moment to send a shout out to all the students who worked on the float – it looked great, guys!  After the parade, students, faculty, and alumni all met on the ground level of the Business complex for a tailgate reception.  In addition to eating delicious food, students could enter into a raffle to win a variety of prizes provided by the alumni.  (Not to brag or anything, but we just so happen to be the winners of two prizes: a sweet messenger bag with The School’s logo and $40 to Chili’s!)  How awesome is it we have alumni who get involved with The School and its students, and who shower the students with prizes?  Answer: pretty awesome!

Dr. Cichy organizes the crowd of Alumni, Faculty and Students for the Homecoming Photo

And we can’t forget about Saturday’s festivities!  We attended the pre-game brunch on Saturday morning.  We chatted with Dr. Lashbrooke, the dean of the business college, and his wife, met with Chris Durso, our fearless PR leader, and once again, ate delicious food.  Shortly we went to the game and cheered the Spartans on to victory!

The Homecoming festivities ended with a fabulous win against Northwestern.

HB Alumni, Allegra Johnson and Mike Rice make funny faces for the photo.

Thanks to all who helped with the weekend’s events, and a special thanks to the alumni who came back to hang out in The School of Hospitality Business!

Homecoming in Hospitality

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all ready for a fabulous Homecoming weekend! Kelsey and I decided to quickly update you on the different events happening across campus. We’ll be at many of the events and we hope to see you there!

Friday, October 16th, 2009:

12:00 pm Ice cream at the Rock:

Free ice cream from the MSU dairy store at the Rock on Farm Lane near the MSU Auditorium.

6:00 Homecoming Parade!

The Hospitality Business parade float won last year, so we definitely have a name to live up to!

7:15 -8:30 Hospitality Business After-Parade Tailgate:

Join us for some free food and door prizes with fellow students and alumni. The tailgate will be located on the ground floor of the Broad Business College, the entrance facing Bogue Street.

Saturday, October 17th, 2009:

12:00 MSU Homecoming Football Game vs. Northwestern!

GO GREEN!!!!

Enjoy the weekend. We’ll update you again on Monday!

So many possibilities…

Well it’s that time again – time for a new blog post and a new insight into the realms of Hospitality Business according to MSU.  Increasingly, HB students are combining Hospitality Business with an additional major.  Why, you ask? (Go ahead, ask.)  The answer is simple: Hospitality Business is an incredibly versatile major.   Not only does it look in depth at the world of hotels, restaurants, clubs, and events (just to name a few), but it also provides students with practical business knowledge, which is very beneficial in all aspects of life.  For instance, both Lauren and I are pursing multiple majors; Lauren, in HB and Communication, and I, in HB, Communication, and German.

Here to share her collegiate ventures is Jenna Stretanski, a junior in HB with an additional major in Communication with a specialization in Public Relations (how’s that for an introduction?).

In her spare time, Jenna likes to perfect the art of iceskating.

Hello fellow HB-ers, Jenna here. Kelsey asked me to write a bit about my experience in The School –and how could I say no to that darling face?  So here it is:

 I’m a junior, from Pinckney, MI originally, and I’m studying Hospitality Business and Public Relations. I hope to someday be involved in the event planning industry, and would also love to plan and produce concerts tours. When I first stepped into HB, I was certain I wanted to work in restaurants or catering, but after my level 1 internship, I realized that the food industry was not my forte. That being said, I still had a strong interest in hospitality.  After reflecting on what I love to do, I remembered the time I had helped plan a convention for high school students in my church. I rediscovered my love for the event planning industry, and I haven’t looked back.

I mentioned earlier my level 1 internship which I did at Grand Traverse Pie Company in Brighton, MI.  Instead of baking pies, I worked at the counter, greeting customers and making lunches.  I gained more experience at the Pie Company than I could have imagined possible. I really got an inside view of the restaurant industry and customer service. My favorite part of the working there was meeting and getting to know the frequent customers. Seeing them weekly (and sometimes daily!) definitely made my job worthwhile. My internship was more than a summer job; the lessons I learned while working there outweighed simply making a paycheck.

For my level 2 internship, I worked as the sales intern at the James B. Henry Center for Executive Development located here on the MSU Campus. For those who don’t know, the Henry Center is right by Forest Akers and is attached to the University Club. At the Henry Center, I received an in-depth look at the event planning industry. As a sales intern, I helped the sales manager send and process contracts as well as market our company to potential clients. I was also able to attend a convention held on Mackinaw Island with the sales manager where I had the chance to network with event planners and association executives. Now, I have continued to work there as a conference aide, helping with guest relations and making sure that every event runs smoothly. The one-on-one conversations I have with event planners and guest speakers confirm that my passion for the industry is legit.  I absolutely love seeing the events come together, and the looks on guests’ and planners’ faces after successful events are reward enough. (Not to mention, the food at the University Club is phenomenal.)

Although my Hospitality Business degree and experience will help to increase my opportunities in the future, my passion for concerts and music made me decide to add on a second degree.  I added Public Relations as another avenue to achieve my goals. Although I will receive two diplomas by December 2011 (fingers-crossed!), I was shocked to see how easily HB and Public Relations come together. My desire for both degrees made me realize that I want to work with people and help them to accomplish their goals, whatever those may be. I know that with both degrees under my belt, especially one so highly ranked as that from The School of Hospitality Business, many doors will be opened for me.

Thanks, Jenna.  It sounds like you’ve got a pretty exciting (and busy!) couple of years ahead of you!  Well, that’s all for today, folks.  Thanks for stopping by.

A normal conversation between Kelsey & Lauren.

So – I saw Andrew Bromley (or Broms, as he’s known to some) at the HA open house on Wednesday – the kid wouldn’t stop giving me flyers to join Les Gourmets!  Seriously, I have at least 3 flyers!  Good thing I signed up to volunteer or I might have 5

Oh yeah, Kels, 3 whole flyers.  That’s sooooo many. While you were juggling all those sheets of paper, I was doing my civic duty of promoting CAREER EXPO. Did I tell you that over 100  students signed up? I’m pretty sure I got about umm…ninety…eight of them myself.

DUDE!  ninety….eight?  Are you sure they didn’t just sign up so they could stop talking to you?  OH SNAP!  Really though, that’s awesome!  The student turn-out was great this year – everyone seemed very eager to be involved.  I think that all the clubs and events got a lot of attention.

We met up with Andrew in front of the Les Gourmets booth.

I was glad so many people showed up because I got to chat with a bunch of friends whom I hadn’t seen all summer. It sounds like everybody got some valuable experiences out of their internships. Plus, we got to see Kaitlynn working her magic as CEO of the Hospitality Association and snagged some great pictures! By the way, don’t think I’m not mad about that little jibe about me scaring people away. That only happened once, Miss Kelsey Fedewa!  But seriously, I really enjoy recruiting freshmen volunteers.

I’m sorry, Lauren.  Can we still be friends?  Out of curiosity, did you get the chance to visit any of the other clubs and events while you were there?  I heard that CMAA (Club Managers Association of America) was giving away t-shirts and I know there was a lot of candy being distributed by Auction and SIRC.

Yeah dude, I got some poprocks from the Auction booth! I haven’t had those in ages…and did you know you can get poprocks on your ice cream at Coldstone? Crazy! But anyway, I unfortunately did not win a t-shirt as I was unable to successfully putt a golfball into a small hole about 3 feet away from me. Did you sign up for any other events or clubs?

Oh, don’t feel bad!  Golfing is hard and Put-Put even harder!  At least you tried!  Yes, I did sign up for some clubs and events such as Les Gourmets (which I mentioned earlier), Auction, and CAREER EXPO.  I also stopped by the PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) booth.  I joined that club last year and am excited to be even more involved this year.  I love that there are so many different opportunities to be involved – definitely something for everyone.  So are you getting ready for the big game tomorrow?

Yes! I’m super excited because my parents are driving up from Ohio to go to the game. As Ohioans, we’re counting on MSU trouncing our archrival from Ann Arbor. I haven’t been able to go home and see them since August so I can’t wait ’til they arrive! Well, I have to get going, so I’ll talk to you later…GO GREEN!

GO WHITE!

In addition to being CEO of HA, Kaitlynn (Far Right) is one of the students who works in SIRC.

Opportunity Outlook

Hey everybody!  I can’t believe it’s been 15 days since our last post!  We hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive us!  We promise not to let it go this long again!  It’s been so busy lately – I can’t believe that the 4th week of classes is coming to a close!

Speaking of which – since school has officially been in session for about a month now, it’s time I provide you with a look into the many opportunities HB has to offer!  While in some majors it may be hard for students to find ways to get involved, that is definitely not the case for Hospitality.  It seems that no matter where you turn, you have the chance to join a club, volunteer for an event, attend a visiting leader’s presentation, and network with industry professionals.  In fact, I was just in the HB office the other day and got to talking with Kaitlynn Murphy, the CEO of the Hospitality Association, about what’s in store for HB students this year!  I asked Kaitlynn to share these opportunities with you and she happily obliged:

Hey ya’ll!  Kaitlynn here – I was graciously extended an invite from Kelsey to write about all the great things going on in The School this semester. Before I tell you about all the great things happening though, I thought I’d tell you a little about my role as CEO of Hospitality Association.

My ‘journey to the top’ has been filled with various twists and turns (to say the least); I still look back and wonder how the no-preference freshman wound up as President of Hospitality Association during my senior year.  Enrolling in State was a big choice for me, says the girl who thought her 100-person middle school was overwhelmingly large.  Once I got to campus though, I knew I needed to get involved in some way to find my niche outside the classroom   I bounced around the business school freshman year and was involved in two different clubs.  Sophomore year found me enrolled in nursing, engineering, and hospitality classes – guess it’s pretty obvious which one I enjoyed the most.  I rushed into the SIRC office the day before CAREER EXPO my sophomore year declaring that I needed to not only learn just what exactly a resume was, but also that I needed to magically create one for myself by the end of the day.  Diving in head-first paid off!  By the end of the week, I had secured my first internship and spent the summer in –gasp – FLORIDA! So, for those of you who are teetering on the edge on choosing HB as your major, here are my two cents worth: go for it. In order to succeed professionally you have to be willing to give it your all – and that’s much easier to accomplish when you’re doing something that’s fun – like Hospitality!

Just to prove how fun our major is, I thought I’d touch on a few of the fun things we’re doing in Hospitality Association throughout this semester! We’ve got our Open House on September 30, from 7-9pm, in the Kellogg Center.  Here you can learn about all the clubs and events, highlighting their annual trips/ conferences and you can talk to students and learn how valuable extracurricular involvement is within our major.  The next big thing after that is the weekend of October 16 — HOMECOMING! All of our volunteers walking along the float are definitely going to stand out this year in our vintage tie-dye green & white t-shirts (They’re only $10 for sale in 232 Eppley Center!)! As a school, we’re following with the overall theme of ‘MSU has always been green,’ but we’re putting a hospitality twist on it!  Our specific slogan will be ‘Keeping our green close to home’ (playing off the word ‘green’ used in context as both local produce and referring to money).  Our float will show the process of how food gets into a restaurant.  We’ll have a garden with farmers, a local restaurant manager, and guests’ dining at the restaurant.  We’re really pumped and are hoping to win the best Spartan Spirit award again this year! That same weekend we’ll also have a chance to meet and talk with some members of the alumni board at our annual Golf Outing (I’m hoping my putt-putt skills will transition well onto the real course!).

The first week of November is CAREER EXPO XXXI – Hospitality’s annual career fair.  Numerous companies from around the country travel to MSU in order to recruit the best candidates just from our program for their open positions in hotels, restaurants, casinos, clubs, conference services, spas and cruises. Finally, to end the semester on a stylish note, we’ll be taking a group of selected leaders within The School to New York City during the first weekend of November to participate in the International Hotel Motel & Restaurant Show to represent Michigan State University.  It will be a jam-packed weekend full of professional development seminars, networking with industry leaders, and fancy dinners out in the city! All in all, it’s going to be a busy semester indeed, but I, along with my super-motivated executive board, am confident it will be filled with great memories, and that we’ll be able to end it a sense of pride knowing it was one of the best semesters in HA’s history.

THANKS again, Kelsey – hopefully I’ll stop by again in the Spring and be able to tell you all about the events we’re sponsoring then.  For now, though: GO GREEN.

Thanks, Kaitlynn!  We look forward to hearing from you again during Spring Semester!  Well, it’s probably time that I say good-bye – gotta get to class!  I hope you found Kaitlynn’s opportunity outlook as helpful as I did.  See you all at the Hospitality Association Open House – and  thanks for stopping by!

An Insight to Internships

Classes have officially begun and, as predicted, we’re pretty busy kids already. I’m glad we had Labor Day as one last break before the semester really gets underway!

I’ve run into so many people I know in just the first week that it blows my mind! This place definitely gets smaller the more time you spend here. I think I know someone in every one of my classes, which means I’ll probably need to look presentable in them instead of showing up in sweatpants…at least for the first few classes until the desire to look nice is trumped by the desire to sleep longer. But anyway, I ran into my friend, Andrew Bromley, in one of my classes and really enjoyed talking to him about his summer experience and how his classes are going, so I asked him to tell you all a little about it!

Hey friends, Andrew here.  I’m entering my third year here at MSU, and not to be outdone by the ladies, I also have two majors.  I’m currently studying Hospitality Business and Dietetics and pursuing a specialization in Food Processing and Technology.  Continuing with my resume, I serve as the marketing director for Les Gourmets 2010, director of finance for Career Expo XXXI, and the president of the Eli Broad Scholar Organization.  But enough about that, let’s talk about what I’m actually doing with all of the knowledge I’ve gained here at MSU.  This summer, I completed my level II internship at Birchwood Farms Golf & Country Club in Harbor Springs, MI.  I think my official title was “Floor Leader”, but everyone just referred to me as “the intern”.  As might be typical of an internship in a small business, my job duties were rather…abstract.  On typical days, I supervised the restaurant operations – checked on customers, helped out and managed the wait staff, and generally took care of things while my bosses were busy.  In addition to “normal” work, I also helped to revamp some of the organizational records for the club.  My main project was to reorganize two massive wine coolers which it seemed had last been organized…never.  In the process of grouping wines by grape type, region, etc. I wound up learning a lot about the subject (for example, the difference between a ‘grand cru’ and a ‘village’ – you have to pronounce this [vɪ.`lɑʒ] so that people know you’re fancy – also the extreme impact vintage makes on the quality and value of wines from different areas).  When I had everything organized, labeled, and transferred to a digital kind of ‘interface’, I installed a perpetual inventory system for the wine so that management could cross reference sales with physical inventory every month.  I was also able to pick up some support skills, particularly bartending, that will hopefully help to get me a job next semester.  While it wasn’t the relaxing summer I had hoped for, I can’t deny that I learned a lot during my on-the-job training at Birchwood.

Back at MSU and with the absence of wedding parties lasting until 2am, I’m excited to get back into a slightly more regular schedule (if that’s even possible in college).  In contrast to last year which focused on dietetics, this year should be full of HB fun – I have 4 hospitality classes this semester, one of which is an honors independent study with Dr. Elsworth.  Throughout the semester, I will be working to craft a business plan based on the entrepreneurial concept that won me first place nationally in the Al Schuman Ecolab scholarship competition.  I can’t divulge too much information about my concept as I plan to make lots of money with it at some point, but I can say that it’s a vegetarian themed casual-fine dining experiment that borrows concepts from ‘eatertainment’ strategies.  I also hope to incorporate a powerful customer loyalty program with knowledge I gained in my time researching last year under Dr. Clay Voorhees in the marketing department.

Another HB class that should prove interesting is HB 302, Hospitality Managerial Accounting.  I should say that I’m a little worried that I seem to like my accounting classes so much as my dad is a CPA and accounting professor, and I always told him how boring all of his “accounting talk” was.  The more I learn and use accounting concepts, however, it turns out (sadly) that they might actually be really useful in the real world…

I should run though because I think my ramen might be burning in the microwave – If the girls decide they don’t hate me, I imagine I’ll be back to talk to you later – if not though, it’s been fun!

Andrew’s welcome back anytime, well, at least as long as he has something interesting to say which may not be all that likely (Kidding! Kidding!). But on a more serious note, it was great running into him and I hope he keeps us updated on his independent study and his business plan…maybe he’ll find some investors out there?

One last thing, Andrew shared with us this awesome quote from Rabindranath Tagore that really makes us feel great about choosing a major that focuses so much on serving others. I can’t think of a better way to end this entry; we’ll be pondering this quote until next time!

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”