Welcome to the Department of Hospitality Management 2019 fall newsletter. We just celebrated Thanksgiving and the end of the semester is close, followed by finals and commencement ceremonies. We had many exciting events, visitors and accomplishments that have occurred over the past year. In the following pages, we’ve highlighted several of the more notable ones. I encourage you to read through our newsletter for interesting information from our department.
Our hospitality management team continues to grow and we welcomed in three new faculty members this fall. Dr. Yue Teng Vaughan is an Assistant Professor in our department and comes from the University of Houston. Ashley McCowan joined us from K-State College of Veterinary Medicine where she worked as the events coordinator. Ericka Bauer is our new instructor for Lacy’s Fresh Fare and Catering. In this issue we will further introduce Ericka and Ashley.
We’ve also had faculty and students recognized this year for their accomplishments which we’ve highlighted in the following pages. Of particular note in this list is Dr. Junehee Kwon being recognized with the Dawley-Scholer Award for Faculty Excellence in Student Development.
In the fall, we hosted the second World of Wines events and the Hospitality Summit. This year’s keynote speaker was Husam Kakish, a K-State alumni and the head of human resources at the MGM Grand Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.
We’re always glad to welcome alumni and friends back and encourage you to stop by if you’re in the region. Thanks for all your support for the Hospitality Management Department at K-State.
Michael Ottenbacher, Department Head