Cornell offers new course on Sustainable Hospitality

Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and the Johnson Graduate School of Management have joined forces with HEI Hotels & Resorts to create a course in which students will work with hospitality industry leaders to devise innovative and more cost-effective solutions to social and environmental issues.

This pioneering collaboration is being led by the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at the Cornell Hotel School and by the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at the Johnson School. Funding and strategic guidance is being provided by HEI Hotels & Resorts, a hotel investment and operating group led by brothers Gary Mendell and Steven Mendell.

‘The hospitality industry must take the lead in confronting social and environmental issues such as global poverty, climate change, and ecosystem degradation,’ says Thomas Ward, managing director of the Pillsbury Institute. ‘Through this partnership, we aim to help students fully appreciate the need for sustainable business practices. Through the generosity of the Mendells, we also will provide students with field-based experience that will further prepare them to address the challenges they will face in the workforce.’

Students will work directly with corporate leaders to seek solutions to an array of sustainability concerns. Certain projects will focus on the greening of current operations, others on the refurbishment of existing assets and properties, and still others on the formation of new businesses. Projects will range across all facets of the hospitality industry, including lodging, food & beverage, and travel, and will be sited in markets around the globe.

‘We believe this course will benefit the students, sponsoring companies, and environment,’ says Gary Mendell, who along with Steven is a graduate of the Cornell Hotel School. ‘Students will develop and refine their critical analysis and decision-making skills, while executives will gain new perspectives on what they might do to become innovative leaders in the sustainability movement. HEI is thrilled to partner with Cornell and its students on this tremendous initiative.’

The new course, entitled Sustainable Global Enterprise Practicum in the Hospitality Industry, began in mid-October and will continue through mid-March. It is taught by Dr. Mark Milstein, director of the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise and lecturer of Strategy, Innovation and Sustainable Global Enterprise at the Johnson School. Teams will conduct field work during the winter break.

Current enrollment includes 15 undergraduate upperclassmen and graduate students from the Hotel School, Johnson School, and Arts & Sciences.

About the Cornell School of Hotel Administration
The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration is shaping the global knowledge base for hospitality management through leadership in education, research and industry advancement. The school provides management instruction in the full range of hospitality disciplines, educating the next generation of leaders in the world’s largest industry. Founded in 1922 as the nation’s first collegiate course of study in hospitality management, the Cornell School of Hotel Administration is recognized as the world leader in its field. For more information, visit www.hotelschool.cornell.edu.

About Pillsbury Institute
The institute advances the study and practice of entrepreneurship in the hospitality industry. Through our network of alumni, faculty, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs, we give students the knowledge and skills they need to successfully pursue entrepreneurial endeavors. To learn more about the institute, visit: www.ihe.cornell.edu, or contact Tom Ward, managing director, Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at 607.255.1217 or via email at tlw54@cornell.edu.

About the Johnson School
Founded in 1946, the Johnson School is Cornell University’s graduate school of management. Consistently ranked as one of the top graduate schools of business, the Johnson School builds upon Cornell’s depth and breadth of distinguished research and teaching, and its vast, worldwide network of alumni, faculty, and colleagues. The school’s “performance learning” approach offers students defined frameworks and analytical tools, combined with expert feedback to solve real problems in real organizations. Deliberately small and extremely selective, the Johnson School maintains an intense, collaborative community, where students develop teamwork and networking skills that foster innovation and deliver results. Programs include one- and two-year MBA degrees, an Executive MBA and the Cornell-Queen’s Executive MBA, which offers interactive videoconferencing sessions across the U.S. and Canada. For more about the Johnson School please visit: www.johnson.cornell.edu.

About the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise
Founded in 2004, the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise is dedicated to building the next-generation management practices that enable growth and innovation strategies which address the world’s environmental and social problems. The Center’s focus on innovation and enterprise development guides its work with companies around the world to effectively identify, understand, and pursue competitive opportunities that solve those problems. For more about the Center please visit: www.johnson.cornell.edu/sge.

About HEI Hotels and Resorts
HEI Hotels & Resorts, headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., is a leading hospitality investment firm that acquires, develops, owns and operates full-service, upper upscale and luxury hotels and resorts throughout the United States under such well-known brand names as Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Embassy Suites, and Hilton. For more information about HEI, visit the company’s website, www.heihotels.com.

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climate change, Cornell University, education, hospitality, poverty, sustainable