January 12, 2005, Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay Hospitality Management Program is one of the University’s fastest growing programs. Established in 2001 with just one student, the program has grown to approximately 84 students and counting.

The booming industry of hospitality management, which includes the lodging, food service, travel, tourism and recreation industries, is the second largest employer in the United States.

“There is more than just the restaurant side to the hospitality industry,” explained John Wolper, area director of The University of Findlay’s hospitality management program. “We are not teaching our students to be chefs, but what we are teaching them is the skills they need to be successful in this industry.” Wolper, along with his wife, Paula, have built the popular program.

The program offers a four-year baccalaureate degree, a minor and an emphasis in the MBA program.

With 50,000 new hospitality graduates entering the workforce each year, the University’s hospitality management program focuses on personal attention and hands-on experience to make UF graduates a cut above the rest. “We like to think that the program has a family syndrome – when you come into the hospitality program, you become part of the family,” explained John Wolper.

The rigorous program, which is housed in the University’s College of Business, is a blend of classroom theory and practical applications. Students take classes like food production management, lodging operations and hospitality financial management along with business classes like marketing, business management and accounting.

In an industry where experience is critical, students are also required to complete 60 service hours a year, giving them a strong base of experience before graduation. Seventy percent of the hours can be fulfilled in University-sponsored activities like catered events, while 30 percent of the hours must be completed off campus. Students are also required to complete at least one internship. UF students have landed internships across the country including at Walt Disney Resorts at Disney World in Florida and the Westin Hotel on Hilton Head Island. “A problem with the wonderful internships our students get is that they do such a great job that the company they are working for tries to hire them away before they graduate,” Wolper explained jokingly.

The popular Village Café is another one of the tools the program uses to give students real-world experience. The café, which is open to the public Tuesdays and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. by reservation, is a full service restaurant. Gourmet meals are entirely planned, prepared and served by students, under the watchful supervision of John and Paula Wolper. “We really want the students to take pride and ownership in what they do. We try to give them the opportunity to manage a meal and manage the people,” Paula Wolper explained.

The program celebrated its first class of graduating students in spring 2004, and all eight students were placed in management positions in the field after graduation. These alums are working in places like the Westin Hotel in Dallas, Texas, as the hotel’s catering coordinator, and The Swan and Dolphin Resort at Disney World. If the effectiveness of a program is measured by the success of its graduates, then the University’s hospitality management program is off to a great start.

For more information about the program, contact John Wolper at 419-434-6949 or wolper@findlay.edu. Reservations for the Village Café can be made by calling 419-434-4097 or online at www.findlay.edu/villagecafe.