Welcome!
In the Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics, we are proud of our heritage and future direction. We have positioned ourselves to be at the national forefront of research, teaching and learning, and outreach activities. One of the oldest departments in the College, HMD was organized in 1922 as the Department of Institutional Economics.
The programs in the Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics are based on the premise that understanding the needs of people in their environments is the basis for successful hospitality management and dietetic practice. Teaching, research, and leadership opportunities are designed to prepare students for professional careers in our service-oriented, information-based society. All Department programs include a commitment to self-evaluation, lifelong learning and adherence to both a personal and professional code of ethics in responding to customer, organization and industry concerns.
The HMD Department in the College of Human Ecology consists of two major undergraduate programs — Hotel and Restaurant Management and Dietetics — and a graduate program in Institution Management (Foodservice and Hospitality Management). Two options are available in the undergraduate dietetics program. The Coordinated Program in Dietetics includes an internship component as part of the course of study. A Didactic Program in Dietetics is also offered for those students seeking the general academic requirements toward dietetic registration and to provide courses for graduate students who are deficient in academic requirements for dietetic registration. Graduate students can focus their program of study on foodservice or hospitality management. All programs are based on the Department's tradition of strength in the area of foodservice management.
The Department is recognized for its excellent faculty. Our faculty have been recognized leaders in foodservice management research since the 1930s. Projects which have been funded by industry include work with a national restaurant chain on service quality and employee empowerment, work with a contract management company on productivity, work with a national pizza manufacturer on implementing NuMenu regulations in pilot schools, and work with a multimedia corporation to develop an interactive CD-ROM for training foodservice professionals on solid waste management. Lodging and tourism research is also being conducted in economic development, multimedia training and yield management. The faculty also work collaboratively with different state agencies and professional associations in conducting training programs and research. Several of the faculty participate as members of the Foodservice and Hospitality Environmental Issues Team.
Faculty have served as elected and appointed officers and members of boards of directors for professional organizations at the national, regional and state levels such as The American Dietetic Association, Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Education, American School Food Service Association, American School Food Service Association Foundation, Foodservice Systems Management Education Council, and the National Association of College and University Food Services.
Students have the opportunity to interact with national leaders in foodservice and hospitality management through the annual Grace M. Shugart Lecture Series. Past speakers have included professional association presidents, foodservice management and hospitality educators, and industry leaders.