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Professor John Walker, ‘Mr. Hospitality’
By Sandra Hice, USF Staff Writer

(June 9, 2004) -- The first endowed professorship in the 30-year history of USF Sarasota-Manatee goes to a former college Rugby champion from England, who trained at the Savoy Hotel London and now teaches students about managing hotels and restaurants.

Dr. John R. Walker has been named the McKibbon Hotel Management Professor thanks to a generous gift from hotelier John McKibbon, III, through his Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, Inc. McKibbon’s endowment lends national credibility to the USF School of Hotel and Restaurant Management located in Sarasota-Manatee. It was established in 2003 as the first school outside the USF Tampa campus.

 Walker brings more than twenty-one years of experience as a teacher, author and consultant in the hospitality industry. His hands-on knowledge is a benefit to students while teaching about hospitality, tourism, human resource management, hotel marketing and sales, and lodging management. In addition, he monitors students’ progress in the advanced internship program.

“Dr. Walker is one of the leading authors of hospitality industry textbooks and a spectacular classroom teacher,” said Dr. Jay Schrock, director of the school. “John is well-known and highly-respected in the industry and his reputation raises the prestige of our university.”

Walker is a former dean and Marshall Professor of the School of Hospitality Management at United States International University in San Diego, where he earned his doctorate in business administration. From 1993 to 2002, he received the Annual Faculty Performance Award for Teaching, Scholarship and Service to the university and community, and in 1999 was given the President’s Award for Scholarship. His industry experience includes management training at the Savoy Hotel London, followed by managerial positions in food and beverage, catering, and general manager positions at various prestigious international hotels.

In addition, Walker has authored or co-authored numerous hospitality and tourism textbooks, many of which have been translated into different languages. He has spoken at seminars in Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, England, Canada and Mexico, and holds several industry professional certifications. Walker also is past president of the Pacific chapter of the Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (CHRIE), and serves on editorial and industry advisory boards.

For more detailed information on Dr. Walker and the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, visit www.sarasota.usf.edu.