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Founding Director
hired for USF School of Hotel and Restaurant Management
New school's home is Sarasota/Manatee campus
(see news conference photos below)
(Sarasota, FL, December 5, 2002) -- The
University of South Florida Sarasota/Manatee Campus Chief Executive
Officer Laurey Stryker today announced Dr. Jay R. Schrock as the founding
director of the recently approved USF School of Hotel and Restaurant
Management. During a morning news conference at the Sarasota/Manatee campus
Sudakoff Center, Stryker described the purpose and key components of the
school, then introduced Schrock.
"This is a first for
USF," said Stryker. "It's the
first time the university has established a school on one of its regional
campuses; our campus is arguably located in the heart of Tampa Bay's
tourism economy. We will be attracting students from the immediate
Sarasota/Manatee/Charlotte County area and those from the larger Tampa/St.
Petersburg community. Establishing this school recognizes the
importance of supporting the hospitality industry, which is the largest in
the state."
At its November 21
meeting, the USF Board of Trustees approved the new school and degree
program. The school's first degree program will be a Bachelor of
Science in Hospitality Management. Completing it requires 60 hours
of course credit at the junior and senior level, and 1,000 hours of work
experience. This degree has been planned through extensive
collaboration with local and national industry professionals.
Dr. Jay R. Schrock has
been appointed the founding director of the USF School of Hotel and
Restaurant Management. He has more than 30 years experience in the
hospitality industry, primarily as a faculty member and administrator at
four higher education institutions. He developed programs at Texas
Tech University and San Francisco State University. Before beginning
his higher education career, he spent several years working for United
Inns as a food service director and general manager.
"It is truly a pleasure
to be here in this wonderful city and in this growing university," said
Schrock. "To have the opportunity to develop a new hotel and
restaurant management program in one of the great tourist regions in the
United States is an honor."
Schrock's Ph.D. is from
Texas Tech University; he has written for a variety of publications and
given many presentations, and he is particularly successful at raising
funds in the hospitality industry for program sponsorship. He
officially starts at USF on January 20. "Dr. Schrock has a proven
ability to establish programs of distinction in hospitality management.
Industry leaders know he listens and they support his ideas concerning
programs and service to students," Stryker added.
In 2003, about $50
billion will be spent by an estimated 100 million visitors to Florida,
yielding nearly $3 billion in tax revenue. Combining Sarasota and
Manatee counties, it's predicted that 3.3 million visitors will come, and
in the Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater area some 7.4 million visitors.
That brings the estimated total of visitors to the Tampa Bay area for 2003
at 10.7 million people. Experts predict these numbers will continue
to grow annually as part of the recovery from the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks.
Students interested in
the B.S. in Hospitality Management can begin enrolling now in the
program's required business courses (fifteen credits). The
registration deadlines for degree-seeking students is Friday, January 3;
for non-degree seekers it's Friday, January 10. The first formal
degree program courses will be offered in May 2003. Students can
also begin seeking opportunities to work in the industry.
Read about the program and then contact Mary Beth Wallace in the
Student Services office at USF Sarasota/Manatee, 941-359-4330, or via
email
marybeth@sar.usf.edu.
The University of South
Florida Sarasota/Manatee Campus offers 25 accredited degree programs for
students to complete at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Currently serving 2,500 students annually, the campus is located at the
Sarasota/Manatee County line on 140 acres at University Parkway and U.S.
41, touching the shoreline of Sarasota Bay and adjacent to the John &
Mable Ringling Museum of Art and Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport.
It is part of the University of South Florida, the second largest
university in Florida with more than 39,000 students, a Research I
institution, and one of the top 20 largest universities in the United
States.
# # #
Photographs from news conference held at Sudakoff Center on December 6,
2002 to introduce the founding director of the USF School of Hotel and
Restaurant Management, Dr. Jay Schrock
Dr. Jay Schrock making remarks to attendees
USF Sarasota/Manatee Campus CEO Dr. Laurey Stryker
addresses attendees
Campus Board Chairman Jan E. Smith speaks to the
audience
Media contact: Ellen Wile
(941) 359-4749;
e-mail ewile@sar.usf.edu
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