News for the Hospitality Executive |
Hospitality Conversations™
by Dr.
John
Hogan, CHE CHA CMHS
May 25, 2011 “I can't imagine a person
becoming a success who
doesn't give this game of life
everything he's got.” Walter Cronkite, (1916-2009) American Reporter and TV News Anchor Many of our earlier Hospitality Conversations™ columns that have examined internships have been at major universities with traditional four year academic programs. Several of these programs have international components that may include global internships and/or students from around the globe. We decided to take a
dramatically different approach in this column and had a marvelous
interview
with Professor Mark Newton, Ed. D.
Program Director at Gwinnett Technical College in the greater Atlanta,
Georgia
(USA) area. Newton is also a Hospitality Consultant in his role as
President at
Newton's LAW and a Professional Speaker at Crossroads Career Networking
Group.
Question 1: How did your career path take you from the corporate world to the teaching load at a community college? Answer: My undergraduate degree was from the hotel school at Cornell.
Answer: That is more than one question! To respond, though:
Answer: It gave me a great head start on all of the above. For example, we have been able to establish internships with four different Hilton brands. They have different ownership structures, differing levels of service and this gives our students exposure to a wide range of options. We work with both full service properties (Doubletree and Hilton), as well as rooms only hotels with Hampton Inns and Homewood Suites. Interested students apply and go through the interviewing process. If they are accepted, the students work in various positions in the hotel including front desk, housekeeping, engineering and sales. They work for 10 hours per week for 10 weeks without pay. They receive course credit. Because they work without pay, their schedule is fairly flexible. Students have to pass the administered OnQ certification tests. It is important to remember that the students are shadowing and learning the hotel positions. They are not taking the place of any employees; however, upon completion of the program they receive a certificate of completion from Hilton. Students can also include the working experience on their resumes, including the OnQ Certificate we have arranged with Hilton The hotel managers also gain an advantage – they have the opportunities to see students in action while in the internships and they hire the best. Several of my students have already been hired by their hotels as paid employees. Question 4: How else do you interact with industry? Answer: Atlanta as a major city has great hospitality offerings. We have had guest lectures and presentations from:
We have also had field trips to Gaylord Properties via Affordable Meetings and some of our students have been involved in learning trips to Europe. Question 5: What would you say is the one special program that has the most impact on students? Answer: There are two programs that have significant impact and are valued by both industry and students:
Answer: It would be what I tell every class: Success means getting out of your seat! Dr. Mark Newton is the Director of the Hotel,
Restaurant
and Tourism Management Program at Gwinnett Technical College in
Lawrenceville,
Georgia. Some of classes he teaches include Introduction to
Hospitality,
Employee Leadership Training, Hotel Operations, Food and Beverage
Management,
Hospitality Engineering, Food and Beverage Cost Control, Hospitality
Law and
Hospitality marketing. Mark is a graduate of the
School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University,
and has worked over twenty years in various management jobs in the
hospitality
industry. Dr. Newton returned to school and earned his Masters
and
Doctoral Degrees from the University of Georgia. He has taught at
Gwinnett Tech for over twenty-three years and has earned sevenn”teacher
of the
year” awards. Dr. Newton is the 2002 member
of the year in the National Speakers Association
– Georgia Chapter. He is the Chairman of the Gwinnett County
Alcohol
Board, as well as an active member of Georgia Meeting Professionals
International and Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association-Georgia
Chapter. Dr. Newton can be found speaking and
consulting for
clients such as Marriott Hotels, Day’s Inns of America, International
Society
of Special Events, Wallis Oil Company, and Certified Oil Company.
He has
written several published articles such as Employee Retention
Strategies,
Winning the Recruiting War, Finding Great People,
and Managing
Your Career.
Don't forget the special values being
offered to industry professionals available on annual membership at www.HospitalityEducators.com. Feel free to share an idea for a column at [email protected] anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense. John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is Co-Founder of a consortium (www.HospitalityEducators.com) of successful corporate and academic professionals delivering focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today. www.HospitalityEducators.com is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability. Individuals wishing to contribute materials may send them [email protected]. Special pricing is in effect for a limited time that also includes a complimentary copy of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD- A COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES. |
Contact: Dr. John Hogan, CHA MHS CHE |