Saturday, October 10, 2009

Legacy of Hilton's vision continues to build careers

When Conrad N. Hilton traveled through Cisco, Texas, in 1919, the only bed available was a couch in the lobby of the Mobley Hotel. He slept on that couch — then bought the hotel on the spot. Hilton built his empire by decisively seizing opportunity. In 1969, he seized the opportunity of a lifetime: to create a hospitality college right here in Houston in which students could learn from those who came before them.
Hilton's dream to create a hotel school, which he funded with an initial gift of $1.5 million, became the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. On September 16, 1969, the new hospitality school, which was the only one of its kind in Texas, held its very first classes with 39 students and three professors. In September, with more than 1,000 students and 40 faculty, we began a year-long celebration commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of this college. Much has happened since that first day of classes, and much lies ahead of us.
The Conrad N. Hilton College has evolved into a world leader in hospitality education with a world-class academic facility, a state-of-the-art teaching hotel, a cadre of outstanding faculty and an ever-changing curriculum that keeps pace with the needs of the hospitality industry.
Over the last 40 years, the college has attracted outstanding students who have evolved into some 5,500 alumni. They include Doug Brooks, president and CEO of Brinker International, which has 1,868 restaurants that operate under the names of Chili's Grill & Bar, Romano's Macaroni Grill, On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, and Maggiano's Little Italy.
Closer to home is Houston-based hotel developer and president of American Liberty Hospitality, Nick Massad Jr., who presented his alma mater with a $1.5 million gift to transform the college's Library and Hospitality Industry Archives. Last year, Gov. Rick Perry named alumnus Rolando B. Pablos presiding officer of the Texas Racing Commission. It is graduates such as these who contribute to the ongoing success and vitality of the hospitality industry in Houston, in the United States and around the world.
The Hilton College has become a microcosm of the world. The college is not merely diverse but truly multicultural. Over the last 20 years, we have graduated more than 2,000 international students representing some 30 different countries each year. All are drawn to Houston by the stellar reputation of the Hilton College and the promise it holds.
Our name says “Hotel and Restaurant Management,” but we also prepare our students to compete and build careers in all sectors of the hospitality industry, including gaming, club management, convention and special events management, wine and spirits management, tourism, marketing and revenue management, to mention but a few hospitality areas in which our graduates excel. Today, our alumni lead the way, and our students represent the future generations of hospitality leaders and innovators. Together, they are the face of the hospitality industry.
As a man of vision, Hilton built the largest hotel empire of his time and contributed much toward the advancement of global travel and tourism through his pursuit of “World Peace through Trade and Travel.” As we reflect on the 40th anniversary of the college that bears his name, it is clear that our vision and collective efforts on his behalf have made a similarly profound impact. Hilton would be proud of where we are today and where we are headed.
Thanks to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation's commitment, the magnanimous support and counsel of our industry partners and friends, the college is thriving. However, private support is also vital to our future as a leading educational, research and service institution in an industry that employs 12.4 million people nationwide. Scholarship support, faculty endowments and pledges are direct ways the community can impact the Hilton College. Utilizing our meeting space for conferences and events, reserving guest rooms for visiting families and dining in our restaurants also has an indirect, yet profound, effect on our program.
Together we continue to secure the academic legacy of this college and the man whose name is forever linked with it, while contributing to the hospitality industry and our local community. Hilton's vision has become our reality, and the successes of our students, most assuredly, would continue to make him proud.
Bowen is dean and Barron Hilton Distinguished Chair, Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. Source chron.com

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