Marriott gift to build new home for hospitality, tourism management
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University will announce Friday (Oct. 27) a gift that will lead the way to build a new $12 million building to house its top-ranked Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
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The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation has made the $4 million lead gift to construct a state-of-the-art facility for teaching, research and additional dining options for the campus and community. The gift will be announced during the annual President's Council dinner in the Purdue Memorial Union Ballrooms.
The new building, to be located at the northwest corner of State and University streets, will upgrade all areas of Purdue's hospitality programs, including its undergraduate offerings that are already ranked No. 1 in the nation by the two most recent ranking surveys of programs of their kind.
Purdue President Martin C. Jischke said the quality of the department's programs, as well as student demand, make a new home for the department a priority for the university.
"We equip Purdue students with a wide range of skills that the industry values very highly," Jischke said. "Graduates of the program go to work in Indiana and all over the world. This new facility can only make Purdue's outstanding program even stronger, and we are very grateful to the Marriott Foundation for its vision and support."
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"This $4 million gift provides the base that ultimately will give our department a home on campus that will improve the learning environment for our students and upgrade research facilities for our faculty," Kavanaugh said. "It also will give us a better front door to the world for recruiters, the local community and visiting clientele of our teaching restaurants."
The department and its restaurants currently are located in Stone Hall.
Plans for the new facility include a restaurant demonstration classroom that will seat more than 100 students, several new classrooms and laboratories, a career center, a student services area, and reception space. In addition, there will be larger venues, as well as a central campus location, more parking and expanded areas for quantity food production to service the John Purdue Room and HTM Café.
"These department-run restaurants serve as training facilities for students and eating and gathering places for Purdue faculty, staff, students and community members," said Dennis Savaiano, dean of the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, in which the department is located.
The $4 million gift will benefit the entire hospitality industry by enhancing the education Purdue students receive.
"The hospitality field needs well-trained and dedicated professionals in order to manage the growth that is forecast for the industry," said J.W. Marriott Jr., a trustee of the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. "Purdue has a well-known and respected hospitality and tourism management program, and this new facility will benefit the students of that program, as well as the business, for years to come."
J.W. Marriott Jr. also is chairman of the board and CEO of Marriott International, headquartered in Washington, D.C. The company employs 143,000 people and operates and franchises nearly 2,800 lodging properties in 67 countries under a number of brands, some of which include Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Renaissance Hotels and Resorts, Courtyard, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, SpringHill Suites and Fairfield Inn.
Steve Bauman, Marriott International vice president of talent acquisition and human resource research, said Purdue graduates have contributed to Marriott International's business success in many capacities.
"Purdue University is a role model in educating young people for future leadership in our industry," he said. "Over the years, Marriott has enjoyed hundreds of quality student interns and hired numerous graduates who started as property assistant managers and progressed to general managers and senior leaders on the corporate staff."
The hospitality and tourism management department has an enrollment of 620 undergraduates, 48 master's degree students and 14 doctoral students. The department offers management education across the whole range of the hospitality industry, including tourism, restaurant, hotel, club, resort and travel.
The Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education ranked the department's undergraduate program No.1 nationally twice. One study surveyed 121 four-year hospitality institutions in order to rank programs quantitatively based on five criteria: curriculum, faculty, student body, resources and fund raising. The second study was from survey data collected from corporate recruiters for major hotel and restaurant companies.
The Marriott Foundation gift is part of the Campaign for Purdue, which seeks to raise $1.5 billion. To date, $1.45 billion has been raised.
Writer: Jay Cooperider, (765) 494-2077, coop@purdue.edu
Sources: Martin Jischke, (765) 494-9708
Ray Kavanaugh, raphaelk@purdue.edu, (765) 494-4643
Dennis Savaiano, savaiano@purdue.edu, (765) 494-8210
Steven Bauman, steve.bauman@marriott.com, (301) 380-8622
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Broadcast-quality b-roll of hospitality and tourism management students and faculty is available by contacting Jesica Webb, Purdue News Service, at (765) 494-2079, jwebb@purdue.edu. Journalists are invited to cover the dinner. For more information or to reserve a space, contact Jay Cooperider, Purdue News Service, (765) 494-2077, coop@purdue.edu
Related Web site:
Marriott corporate
Related news release:
Purdue tops national survey of hospitality management programs
PHOTO CAPTION:
J.W. Marriott III accepts the Distinguished Pinnacle Award from President Martin C. Jischke on Friday at the President's Council annual dinner. The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation has made the $4 million lead gift toward a planned $12 million building to house the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management. (Photo by Vincent Walter)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2006/marriott-pinnacle.jpg
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