About the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management

Dean: John T. Bowen, Ph.D., Texas A&M University

Associate Dean of Academics: Carl A. Boger, Jr., Ph.D., Purdue University

General Manager, Hilton University of Houston: Fernando Cuéllar, B.S., Oklahoma State University

Director-Placement Services: Lori Osborn, M.S., New Mexico State University

Mission Statement

The mission of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston is to prepare individuals for industry management and leadership by providing a quality hospitality education and ongoing professional development, as well as to be recognized globally as a premier learning environment through teaching, research and service excellence.

The College and Facilities

The Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston was established in 1969 by one of the most iconic names in the hospitality industry, Conrad N. Hilton. Consistently ranked one of the top hospitality programs in the world, our students benefit in countless ways from industry connections 40 years in the making, including twice yearly job fairs, a wide range of internship opportunities, and a well-placed alumni network. Hilton College offers a specialized business degree that prepares students for careers in the world’s top hotels, restaurants, resorts, casinos and clubs. Upon graduation, Hilton students typically have their choice of job opportunities in the United States and abroad and always have a solid foundation for post-graduate work.

Hilton College, which shares the same building as its teaching hotel, houses four hospitality related industry institutes, numerous classrooms, three computer labs and the Massad Family Library Research Center and Hospitality Industry Archives. It also has a student-run lunch-only restaurant (Barron’s), demo kitchen and several food science labs including a beverage lab and product evaluation lab. The College is also home to a popular student-run coffeehouse (Cougar Grounds) and has added new furniture to its student lounge areas, giving students a “home away from home” to study and hang out with friends. In addition to the hotel being an experiential learning laboratory where students apply theoretical learning to practical experiences, students have experiential learning opportunities in the production of important annual College events such as Gourmet Night and Hospitality Hall of Honor Week.

Hall Of Honor

The Conrad N. Hilton College houses the Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor, which recognizes those leaders in the hospitality industry who have made extraordinary contributions to American business, international business and society. Rotating displays in the Hall of Honor Gallery and the Hospitality Industry Archives memorialize the inductees’ achievements and leadership providing a lasting tribute to the companies they conceived and built during their lifetimes. Each October, an industry recognition event brings industry leaders to the College for an annual induction ceremony and dinner that is produced and managed by a student board of directors.

Fred Parks Wine Cellar

The Fred Parks Wine Cellar is a state-of-the-art wine cellar and teaching laboratory that is dedicated to promoting knowledge of the wine industry among hospitality management students. The wine cellar contains an impressive collection of rare and collectible wines featuring over 1,000 bottles from the early 1900s to contemporary vintages.

One of the goals of the Wine Cellar is to become an international resource center and a world repository for research, education and training in the study of wine and spirits.

In the spring of 2007, the Fred Parks Boardroom opened to extend this mission. In addition to displaying some of these wines, this room serves as the fine dining venue for the University and provides our students another opportunity to exhibit their skills and creativity.

Massad Family Library Research Center And Hospitality Industry Archives

The Conrad N. Hilton College maintains one of the largest hospitality industry archives in the world. Built in 1989 through a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the space recently underwent a $1.5 million renovation thanks to Nick (‘73) and Vicki Massad (Hon. ‘03) of Houston-based American Liberty Hospitality. The Massads’ donation was the largest gift ever presented to the College from a source other than the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. In addition to a complete remodeling of the library, the $2.5 million project also includes a major investment in new technology and an improvement to the library’s extensive hospitality industry archives.

The new 4,000-square-foot Massad Family Library and Hospitality Archives, which opened in February 2010 and was designed by Fernando Brave of Houston-based Brave Architecture, contains more than 7,000 resources and references for students and visitors, including books, cookbooks, magazines, journals, graduate papers and corporate-communications materials. The collection covers numerous hospitality fields, including food and beverage management, catering, facilities management, gaming, lodging, nutrition, travel and tourism and industry-leader biographies. The library also has three private study rooms with projectors, four computer kiosks with access to numerous research databases, wireless Internet and an adjacent computer lab. A copy machine and scanner also is available. In addition, students and faculty can access hospitality-specific electronic collections on and off campus.

The Hospitality Industry Archives is a unique and wide-ranging collection of corporate papers, historical documents, photographs, film and memorabilia that attracts scholars, educators, hospitality-industry professionals and media outlets from around the world. The archives, prominently displayed within the Massad Family Library Research Center, are the official repository of the hospitality industry and offer a telling glimpse into the industry’s history and growth. Today, the College’s Hospitality Industry Archives include more than 500 linear feet of material, much of it devoted to the history of Hilton Hotel Corporation and Hilton International. The Hilton collection provides an in-depth look at the evolution of the Hilton brand, from its modest beginnings in the early 20th century to its recent acquisitions of hotel chains such as Doubletree, Embassy Suites and Hampton Inn & Suites. In addition, the archives include reports, memorabilia, advertising, publications and more for other hospitality companies, such as Marriott International, Howard Johnson, Walt Disney and Carlson Hospitality Worldwide.

News outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, as well as historians, authors and scholars, all have relied on these archives to provide a rich, thorough history of the industry. The archives have contributed to books on hotel history, scholarly articles and news reports - even producers of the Emmy-winning television show “Mad Men,” which is set in the 1960s, have turned to the College’s archives for research.

Computer Labs

The Conrad N. Hilton College has two open computer labs and one computer lab adjacent to the Massad Family Library Research Center and Hospitality Archives. Two of the labs have 20 computers each, and one lab has 18. The computers have Microsoft Office, computer-based training courses, statistical software and nutritional-analysis applications. The labs also offer wireless Internet access.

These facilities, coupled with systems used by the Hilton University of Houston give our students the opportunity to gain a high degree of technical expertise that is germane to the hospitality industry.

Institutes And Centers

The College is home to two national research and information centers, one university institute, and a center of excellence that meet the needs of both students and the hospitality industry. Institutes and centers housed at the College include: The American Hotel & Lodging Association Information Center, the Hospitality Financial and Technical Professionals Research Institute, the Wine & Spirits Management Institute, and the Gaming Education and Research Institute.

Hilton University of Houston

Built in 1975, the Hilton University of Houston recently completed a $12.5 million renovation to its facilities. The transformed contemporary, stylish “new” property serves as the training hotel for students attending the top-ranked Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management. Here, hospitality students work with hotel professionals to gain hands-on experience in guest service, hotel operations and banquet service. The hotel offers 86 hotel guest rooms. For current room rates and/or to make a reservation at the Hilton University of Houston visit www.Hilton.com. And with 25,000 square feet of flexible banquet space - including seven meeting rooms and three ballrooms with capacities ranging from 10 to 600 people - it’s the ideal on-campus destination for meetings, banquets, receptions, video conferencing and special events. Wedding receptions are also popular here. The Fred Parks Boardroom, on the second floor of the hotel, offers a stylish alternative venue for breakfast, lunch or dinner meetings and features a remarkable wine collection. The Fred Parks Boardroom can accommodate customized menus with wine pairing for up to 28 people. Accommodations can be made at any level and underground parking is available to guests.

For hotel room reservations, click here or call 866-327-1161.

To book an event, call the Sales Office at 832-531-6303 or 832-531- 6304.

Eric’s Restaurant, located just off the lobby of the Hilton University of Houston, is open seven days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Featuring casual dining with a Mediterranean flair. Eric’s is also a popular spot to meet for happy hour. Bar service is available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For reservations, please call 713-743-2512.

Barron’s Restaurant is a lunch-only operation and is managed and staffed entirely by Hilton College students. Located on the first floor of the South Wing of the Hilton College, hours are 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters. A limited menu is now being offered during the summer semesters as well with these same hours of operation. Barron’s features a bistro-inspired menu with everything from traditional favorites, like burgers and pizza, to more trendy and upscale options like pesto chicken pasta salad and Cuban paninis. The food is fresh, tasty and inexpensive and service is quick, making it a favorite lunch spot among students, faculty and staff. Call 713-743-2558 for more information.

Cougar Grounds, located next to Barron’s Restaurant, is a student-run coffee shop and the newest campus hotspot for gourmet coffee. Cougar Grounds’ menu features a variety of hot and cold gourmet coffees and deluxe teas, fair-trade coffees and signature coffee-blend drinks, including delicious macchiatos, mochas, chai lattes, caramel lattes and more, along with breakfast muffins and pastries, killer chocolate desserts and sandwiches. It is the first university coffee shop in the country managed and staffed by students as part of an educational experience and the gourmet coffee brewed here is second to none. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday during the fall and spring semesters, and from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday during the summer semesters. Call 713-743-2882 for more information.
 

Scholarships and Awards

A number of competitive scholarships and awards are funded by the College and hospitality industry. Applications are available each year from November 1 through March 1 for the following academic year. Applications are only available online at www.hrm.uh.edu/scholarships.

For information, write:

University of Houston
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management
Attn: Scholarships
229 C.N. Hilton Hotel & College
Houston, Texas 77204-3028
713-743-2492

Student Organizations and Honor Societies

There are 16 student organizations in which students can become involved. These include:

• Club Managers Association of America (CMAA)
• Conrad N. Hilton Ambassadors
• Disney College Program
• Eta Sigma Delta
• Graduate Student Association (GSA)
• Green Team
• Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals-Cougar Chapter (HFTP-CC)
• Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI)
• Hotel Management Society (HMS)
• Houston Spa Association - Student Chapter
• National Association for Catering and Events (NACE).
• National Society of Minorities in Hospitality-Cougar Chapter (NSMH-CC)
• Par Excellence
• Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)
• Texas Restaurant Association - Cougar Chapter (TRACC)
• Wine & Spirits Management Association (WSMA)

For more information on these organizations, visit www.hrm.uh.edu under Student Life: Student Activities: Student Organizations

Faculty

Professors
JéAnna L. Abbott, Ki-Joon Back, Stephen C. Barth, Agnes L. DeFranco, Douglas C. Keister (Emeritus), Clinton L. Rappole (Emeritus)

Associate Professors
William N. Chernish (Emeritus), Nancy S. Graves, Ronald A. Nykiel (Emeritus), Karl Titz

Assistant Professors
Glenn Cordúa y Cruz (Visiting), Mary Dawson, Jason Draper, Priyanko Guchait, Nan Hua, Yoon Koh, Thomas W. Lattin (Visiting), Juan M. Madera, Cristian Morosan, Jay Neal, Mark Young (Archivist)

Lecturers
Kristi Baker, Anthony Caterina, Anthony Chevalier, Aaron Corsi, Alexis Hoey, Abbas Jaffari, Camille Kapoor, Ken Kaser, Erin Kenyan Oeser, Lori Osborn, Krystal Peay, Gloryvee Ramos, Kevin S. Simon, Sujata Sirsat, John Trujillo, Michael C. Turner, Lydia Westbrook, Elizabeth Ann Whalen, James Wortman

Adjunct Lecturers
Steve Abbott, Joe Bendy, Simone Doudna, Greg Eilmann, Sue Gibson, Martin Luk, Wade Morehead, Marty Price, Arlene Ramirez, Dirk Smith, Monique Studak, Laura Sutherland