Unveiling a new name: Hospitality Management and Dietetics

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

The name Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management and Dietetics retired in July when the Board of Regents approved a new moniker for the department that has been around since 1926.

The new name is the Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics.

Dean Margaret M. Justin created the Department of Institutional Economics. The first department head was Bessie B. West. In 1936 the name was changed to Institutional Management.

Through the years, the name of our unit has changed in an attempt to best reflect the department’s programs. As the department grew, so did its name,” explained Dr. Deb Canter, professor and department head.

The term “institutional management,” that originally included food service operations in schools, hospitals, correctional facilities and others, became somewhat outdated.

Today, “hospitality management” is widely used to reflect the diversity of disciplines and interests in the field. “Hospitality management encompasses a wide variety of areas: restaurant management, hotel management, lodging, travel and tourism, convention and meeting planning, etc,” Canter said.

“The phrase ‘hospitality management’ reflects the intent of our programs but allows for flexibility as the field continues to grow. The term also is easily recognizable and understandable by prospective students, parents, and by the industry which hires our graduates,” she added.

The department offers BS, MS and PhD programs in dietetics and in hotel and restaurant management. They are the only 4-year hospitality and dietetics programs approved by the Kansas Board of Regents.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 and is filed under Dean's Blog.