For Immediate Release: June 6, 2008
Contact: Lisa McPheron
Director of Communications and External Relations
The Collins School of Hospitality Management
(909) 869-3151, lcmcpheron@csupomona.edu
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The Collins School of Hospitality Management to be Designated a College
The Collins School of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona will officially be renamed The Collins College of Hospitality Management. The new status positions The Collins College of Hospitality Management to be the first hospitality management college in the California State University system and among about six nationwide.
Cal Poly Pomona President Michael Ortiz will sign the formal documents authorizing the name change on Friday, June 13, at 2 p.m. prior to The Collins School's commencement ceremony. Carol and Jim Collins, the namesakes and primary benefactors of the college, Dean Andy Feinstein, interim Provost Herman Lujan and Associate Dean Joseph Casey will be present for the signing. The signing will take place at the Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch.
"Cal Poly Pomona's hospitality program is one of the best in the country. It is fitting that it receives the proper designation," President Michael Ortiz said. "This is more than just changing a name. It sends a message that Cal Poly Pomona is a leader in hospitality management education."
The Collins School has played a major role in the maturation of hospitality management education in California. Founded in 1973, the program is the first and largest four-year hospitality Bachelor of Science degree program in the state and is consistently ranked among the nation's premier hospitality management programs.
"This is a significant milestone for us," Dean Andy Feinstein said. "I see tremendous symbolism in having the signing take place before commencement because The Collins School is in essence graduating into a college."
The School-to-College Task Force members Barbara Jean Bruin, Ben Dewald, Sandy Kapoor, Ed Merritt, John Self and Casey drafted a report outlining many reasons to be designated a college. The report was submitted as a recommendation to the Academic Senate, which represents the Cal Poly Pomona faculty. The senate passed the recommendation unanimously on May 14 following a formal review process. The measure is also supported by the Cal Poly Pomona Dean's Council and Interim Provost Lujan.
The official name change will go into effect on July 1, 2008.
Brief History:
The Collins School is ideally located in one of the largest hospitality markets in the world. It began as a department in the College of Business Administration in 1973 in response to the demand for qualified management due to the hospitality industry's explosive growth. At the time it was the first four-year hospitality degree offered on the West Coast. Continued growth led to the creation of the Center for Hospitality Management in 1986. In 1991, it became the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management. In 1999, Carol and Jim Collins's giving had surmounted $10 million enabling two more buildings to be built and prompting the CSU Board of Trustees to name the school in their honor.
Serving nearly 850 ethnically diverse students, The Collins School offers a rigorous education firmly rooted in hospitality management theories and real-world applications. A customized curriculum prepares students for careers in hotel resort management, restaurant management, club management, culinary product development, tourism management and special events/meeting planning.
Carol and Jim Collins share a laugh with President Ortiz after the signing on June 13.
School-to-College Task Force members stand with the resolution that commemorated the school becoming a college.