Kansas State University

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.    Continue reading “A Message from the Department Head” →

Ashley McCowan  

Born and raised in Georgia, Ashley is joining us from the College of Veterinary Medicine on campus where she worked as an Event Coordinator for the last 5 years, helping to plan the college’s events, conferences and managing alumni affairs. Prior to Vet Med, she worked with a sports management and entertainment company, The Colonnade Group, as an Assistant Director of Crimson Tide Hospitality and Director of Ahearn Fund Athletic Hospitality, working in the premium seating and club areas within the athletic departments. Ashley is a graduate of the Restaurant and Hospitality Management program from the University of Alabama and has her master’s degree in Sport Management and Administration from there as well. She was a competitive gymnast all the way through college and still enjoys all aspects of the sport.  Ashley’s husband, Josh, works in the Athletic Department with the Ahearn Fund. They are expecting their first child in December.

Ericka Bauer  

Ericka started at K-State in September of 2019 moving from Orlando, FL after earning her master’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management, and two graduate certificates from the University of Central Florida. 

She has worked in alternating food service operations for 20 years and has transitioned over to the academic side of the hospitality industry, educating the next generation of hospitality students to become successful leaders in the industry.  She has worked for several notable companies including Club Med, The Walt Disney Company, Aramark, and Southern Foodservice Management; as well as many independent restaurants including one of the top ranked restaurants in Philadelphia. 

Ericka cooked 2 years for the University of Central Florida athletics and is enjoying Wildcat football along with basketball, and is transitioning from Penn State University ice cream to KSU Call Hall ice cream. She was surprised about the local delicacy of cinnamon rolls pairing with chili. She also enjoys hiking the Appalachian Trail and can’t wait to hike the Konza.  

Fifteen students in the Business Events Management senior capstone class planned and facilitated this year’s Hospitality Summit on October 30, 2019.

 The event was hosted in the K-State Alumni Center, and featured a full day of events. The Summit began with internship presentations by HM 375 students.

 After presentations, students had the choice of two breakout sessions to learn about entrepreneurship or off premise catering. Then students went to the Keynote speaker.

The keynote speaker for this event was K-State Hospitality Management graduate Husam Kakish. He works at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. His presentation detailed how he got to where he is by taking the road less traveled.

 After the keynote speaker, students ate a sandwich and side lunch catered by Lacy’s and enjoyed a networking lunch session. Then students attended their final workshop session choosing between owning and operating a private event venue, and a social media workshop.

Hospitality Management students attended the STR Market competition in NYC on November 10, 2019. This is a culmination of a large research project in HM 664 ,Advanced Lodging Operations with associate professor, Dr. Jichul Jang.

”The students worked hard during a two months prep time, and they represented K-State very well at the NYC competition,” stated Dr. Jang. 

The following three students competed in this competition: Maggie Clarke, Derek Gimson, and Derek Hoisington.

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things in the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and if offers the greatest range of enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other sensory thing.” —Ernest Hemmingway 

Fall is the time for HM’s annual event series – World of Wines. This year’s World of Wines consisted of two events.  The first event was a Wine & Cheese Tasting Workshop and Sommelier Cristina Milostan walked guests through each wine and cheese pairing. Participants were given 6 wines and 6 cheese pairings. At the second World of Wines event, Cristina presented three Cava and Small Bites, in which sparkling wines were paired with a variety of hors d’oeuvres.  

The goal for World of Wines was to raise awareness of the hospitality management program across campus and among the community. Proceeds from ticket sales went toward our Graduate Students and Undergraduate Study Abroad Scholarships. Attendees included K-State students and faculty as well as members of the Manhattan community. We are very pleased with the success of the events thanks to a special group of students and faculty that helped to pull them off.   

The Department of Hospitality Management was honored to have two award winners during this year’s Celebration of Excellence. The award winners spent time on campus meeting with students and faculty along with attending an awards reception. Read below to learn more about Karen Hibbard and Scott Sieben. 

Karen Hibbard

Karen Hibbard was awarded The College of Health and Human Sciences Partner Award to honor her sustained partnerships with the college to enhance student and faculty research, internships, or other educational opportunities. Karen Hibbard has been a key leader helping visitors and native residents find their best spot for enjoying the Kansas Flint Hills and the Kansas Capital of Fun. 

A member of the Manhattan community for over 40 years, Hibbard first joined the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce in 1978. After time away, Hibbard rejoined the chamber in 1997 as the convention sales manager for the Convention and Visitors Bureau. In 2005, she was named director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau and was promoted to vice president of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2007. 

Scott Sieben

Scott Sieben was recognized with the Entrepreneur Award honoring his entrepreneurial spirit and success in business. Scott has more than 15 years’ experience in the restaurant business. He was born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas, and received his bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant management from Kansas State University in 2008. 

In 2010, Sieben and his wife, Lindsay, purchased Mr. K’s Café and Bar in Manhattan. They saw a need for a local restaurant and bar on the west side of town that offered a unique menu that wasn’t bar food. They chose to eliminate the use of a fryer and focus on fresh and different food. They added Mr. K’s Mobile Kitchen in 2015 to have the ability to take their food on the road. In 2018, the Sieben’s purchased Kite’s Bar and Grill in Aggieville to maintain the bar’s K-State tradition.