Member since 2010

Niagara University's nationally ranked College of Hospitality and Tourism Management offered the world's first bachelor's degree in tourism; was the 7th hospitality and tourism program in the country to be accredited; is a founding member of The Leading Hotel Schools of the World; and is a recipient of the Institutional Achievement Award of the International Society of Travel and Tourism Educators. The Niagara University student chapter of the Club Managers Association of America was voted the best student chapter in the country in 2010.

The focus of its challenging curriculum, ranked 8th best in the country, is on practical industry applications. The College has a hospitality partnership agreement with Carlson, the broadest hospitality company in the world with operations in 140 countries. Students each year, under the direction of a faculty member, work on a consulting project provided by the Hotel Manager of the Waldorf=Astoria. Sport and tourism students work on events regularly with the Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau and various community organizations hosting major events. More than 80 industry leaders speak in our classrooms each year with many working on projects with our students. The College's annual convocation brings to campus worldwide leaders in the hospitality, tourism, and sport industries.

Students in the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management participate in approximately 12 industry excursions each year. The Sport students work events at the Super Bowl including game day events. They have also worked events as part of the women's final four NCAA basketball championship, spring baseball training in Florida, and have attended career fairs in Cleveland. Foodservice students attend the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago annually each year, one of the largest industry shows in the world. Tourism students participate in the New York State Governor's Tourism conference and regional tourism conferences. Hotel students participate annually in the International Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Show in New York City that includes a reception with alumni and industry loaders at the Waldorf=Astoria, sessions with the Women in Lodging Council of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and tours of the best hotels in New York City. Hotel students each year shadow managers at the Park Hyatt Toronto, ranked one of the ten best hotels in Canada, and attend professional development sessions on industry trends. Club Management students participate in the national Club Managers Association of America conference and tour local and regional clubs.

The College is known for its innovative international programs. It founded, along with The Hotel School The Hague in The Netherlands and The Leading Hotels of the World, The Leading Hotel Schools of the World (LHSW). This organization has grown into 10 leading hospitality and tourism programs worldwide working together and also working in conjunction with the 450 five–star Leading Hotels of the World. The College offers a unique work abroad experience in luxury hotels in Lake Como, Italy that includes the iconic Villa d'Este hotel, a Leading Hotel of the World, ranked number one in the world by Forbes Traveler. The College also offers a work abroad program in Cusco, Peru with our LHSW partner school in Lima that provides a unique cultural immersion experience and work experience in Cusco, Peru – the gateway city to Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Also through LHSW we offer distance learning classes that connect our students to classrooms with our partners worldwide in unique courses such as spa management, cultural marketing, and the luxury hotel experience. The College offers a dual degree program with its LHSW partner in Bad Honnef, Germany in which students can earn a second degree from our German partner in international tourism or international hospitality plus their Niagara degree – all in four years of study!

All students in the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management must complete at least 800 hours of approved industry experience to graduate. Our students work locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally to earn these experiences. They work at: numerous convention and visitors bureaus and convention centers; sport teams at all different professional levels; member properties of Leading Hotels of the World like Chatham Bars on Cape Cod to the legendary Carlyle hotel in New York City; the highest rated country cubs in the country like Chevy Chase; and working in national parks like Glacier National Park in Montana for Delaware North. We send the 8th largest number of students in the country to Disney. The annual College of Hospitality and Tourism Management Career Fair attracts approximately 45 of the best companies each year to Niagara University to recruit Niagara students for full time jobs, internships, and summer jobs. Over 20 of the recruiters are national recruiters. Niagara University students work with the best employers in the industry and that is why we normally have a 100% placement rate. We strive for 100% placement of our students but we want them working at the best companies in the industry so that they can establish themselves in a personally rewarding career path.

Helping our students achieve the highest quality work experiences is the College's Alumni Association. Each year the alumni sponsor an annual Career Day program to introduce students to the full range of career opportunities in the hospitality, tourism, and sport industries and also to network with the students to help them in obtaining great work experiences and great full time jobs. The alumni also sponsor a Mentorship Program and Shadow Program as well for our students.

Niagara University's College of Hospitality and Tourism Management students receive the best of both worlds: a demanding and challenging curriculum that is highly ranked as one of the best curricula in the country coupled with the highest quality experiential opportunities available in the industry. This, together, with our highest quality international experiences that offer true cultural immersion fully prepare students to work in the world's single largest industry that accounts for 10% of the worldwide labor force. We provide all this value in a small setting. Average class sizes are 20 to 25 students. The number of students in the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management is 450 and the number of full time undergraduates at Niagara University is 2,700. At Niagara University we look at each student as being unique and we provide individual attention to all our students – in the same manner that our industry requires us to treat our guests.

For further information please contact:
Gary D. Praetzel, Ph.D.
Dean
gdp@niagara.edu
 716.286.8272