News
Hospitality and Tourism Management BS

Mark Zettl ’96 (hotel and resort management), a contributor to Forbes, talks with Edwin Torres, department chair and associate professor, Department of International Hospitality and Service Innovation, about RIT's hospitality program.

College courses are intended to be a bit brainy and thought provoking. But there’s nothing that says they can’t be fun, too.

A hospitality workforce training program run by Saunders College of Business is responding both to the needs of underserved immigrants and refugees seeking meaningful work and an industry that has been devastated by staff shortages wrought by the pandemic.

RIT business students can expect major changes to Max Lowenthal Hall, home of Saunders College of Business, after the completion of a more than $20 million expansion and renovation project in fall 2023.

Students from RIT's Industrial Design (BFA and MFA) and Master of Architecture programs constructed a large-scale sculpture on the Woodstock music festival grounds for a Hello Wood event. 

Ryan Brooks ’96 (food management) is the third-generation owner of the business that began as a poultry farm, providing fresh eggs and packaged meats to nearby stores. His grandparents dreamed of opening a restaurant, and in 1961, they adapted their catering business into what would become a recognized family-owned business—Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q.

Ndidiamaka “Ndidi” Chimah, a third-year hospitality and tourism management major from Baltimore, has been awarded the Statler Scholarship of Excellence. This prestigious scholarship, valued at $25,000, is awarded to students that go above and beyond, excelling in hospitality management programs, and who plan to pursue careers in the field.

Third-year hospitality and tourism management major Maddie Reim worked with Saunders College of Business Associate Professor Jerrie Hsieh on research pertaining to the return of consumers to restaurant dining. Reim will present her findings during RIT’s Undergraduate Research Symposium.

RIT’s Saunders College of Business will welcome Kevin O’Leary, aka Mr. Wonderful, star of ABC’s Shark Tank, as the 11th J. Warren McClure Lecture Series keynote speaker on April 8. The virtual event is open to the general public and will feature a one-hour lecture followed by a brief Q&A.

The hospitality and tourism management (HTM) degree at Saunders College of Business offers students the opportunity to gain a range of applicable skill sets in both business and hospitality operations.

All Saunders undergraduate programs have technology built into the curriculum.

When students in RIT’s hospitality and tourism management clubs realized COVID-19 restrictions would prevent them from executing their annual Valentine’s Day fundraiser dinner, they decided to redirect their efforts to give back to the community instead.