News for the Hospitality Executive |
(January 16, 2013, East Lansing, Michigan)
Associate Professor Dr.
A.J. Singh has been named the Hilton Hotels Fellow in The School of
Hospitality Business at Michigan State University. The
newly-created
endowed position is funded through The School’s existing Hilton Hotels
Professor endowment, created in 1989. Dr. Singh’s
responsibilities will
primarily include his role as director of The School’s Real Estate and
Development Specialization. The Specialization is a highly competitive option for students who are committed to a career in real estate development. A select group is chosen each year for this rigorous twenty-two credit curriculum which requires strong academic performance; extra coursework; an interest in finance; a 400-hour, ten week internship at a hospitality real estate firm; and a serious commitment to this career path. With this Specialization, students prepare for careers in hospitality real estate development firms, acquisition and development departments within major hospitality companies, hospitality consulting/appraisal firms, and mortgage lenders specializing in hotels, real estate acquisition funds, and asset management companies. Students from a variety of majors may enroll in the Specialization, which is designed to supplement their core degrees and increase their professional skills and career options. “We anticipate that Dr. Singh will oversee the growth of The School’s Real Estate and Development Specialization,” says School director Dr. Ron Cichy. “Our goal is a 25% increase in enrollments.” In addition to overseeing the Specialization, Dr. Singh will add four new outreach, research, and training affiliations. He will lead a new real estate investment workshop and a new research symposium, develop an international investment conference affiliation for The School, and direct a new lifestyle/boutique hotel development training workshop. Under his leadership, The School will formalize collaborations across the Broad College of Business’ existing programs and center; specifically, Data Analytics, Financial Markets Institute, Sustainability, and/or Entrepreneurship. Dr. Singh will also work with Dr. Cichy and The School’s Hilton Hotels Professor Dr. Ray Schmidgall to raise new funds to support students and faculty with research related to real estate investment, financial management, asset management, or sustainability. The School has had an active Real Estate Development Advisory Council for a number of years. With this new position, Dr. Singh will restructure the group, involving more closely the students who are enrolled in the Real Estate and Development Specialization. Dr. Singh, who has been a faculty member in The School since 2000, has a proven track record. He has worked very closely with Dr. Schmidgall for the past 22 years on research, teaching, and outreach engagement associated with financial management, real estate development, and asset management. He helped create and build the Real Estate and Development Specialization in The School, and establish its Real Estate Development Advisory Council. With his collaboration, The School is academic partner to two hotel industry investment conferences, the Midwest Lodging Investors Summit, and the LifeSTYLE Boutique Hotel Development Conference. In addition, The School has representation on four leading real estate investment professional and research organizations. “I look forward to my new role in The School,” says Dr. Singh. “I have been in on the ground floor as we built our real estate and development curriculum and programs. This will help us more keenly focus on that direction.” Along with teaching undergraduate courses, Dr. Singh has collaborated with Dr. Schmidgall and other MSU researchers to create the Lodging Market Potential Index (L-MPI). He regularly conducts annual real estate and asset management workshops, publishes journal articles, presents papers at academic conferences, and mentors both undergraduate and graduate students. He is the co-author or co-editor of several books and resource guides for the industry. “Dr. Singh has proven, with his research, publications, and industry outreach, to be well suited to be the Hilton Hotels Fellow,” says Dr. Schmidgall. “Our School is poised for leadership in the field of hotel real estate and development education.” WE ARE THE SCHOOL™ “WE” represents the tens of thousands of relationships among students, faculty, alumni, and industry partners. “THE” reflects our 85-year foundation of preparing the hospitality industry’s managers and operators. Today The School also emphasizes real estate and thinking like the owner throughout the curriculum, for all our students. About The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University: We are The School Michigan State University: Creating Knowledge and Transforming Lives Recognized as the top-ranked hospitality business school, The School has a unique, industry-specific position within Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business. Celebrating its 86th anniversary year in 2013, The School has almost 10,000 graduates worldwide, including a number of leading academicians and industry executives who have earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Founded in 1927, The School offers an exceptionally well-crafted curriculum, taught by innovative professors who are leading textbook authors, sought-after consultants, and respected researchers. The mission of The School is
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Contact: Lena Loeffler 517-353-9211 [email protected] |