Of the Hill of the Top Heap
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A WILLIAM F. HARRAH COLLEGE OF HOTEL ADMINISTRATION PUBLICATION ISSUE 1 VOLUME 4 PPSPRINGREMIER 2008 Queen of the Hill of the Top Heap Alumna of the Year Cynthia Kiser Murphey Tackles Top Job at New York-New York PREMIER Alumni Association International The official magazine of Board of Directors Advisory Board the William F. Harrah Bobbie Barnes ’93, ’05 M.Ed. William Allen III College of Hotel UNLV Career Services Stephen G. Michaelides Outback Steakhouse Words, Ink Administration Marco Benvenuti ’02 Williams Anton Wynn Las Vegas Jim Moore OFFICE OF THE DEAN Anton Airfood Moore Ideas Inc. Paula Eylar ’89, ’97 MBA Box 456013 George E. Baggott, CFSP Boyd Gaming Arthur Nathan 4505 S. Maryland Parkway BEE Thr LLC Wynn Las Vegas Dennis Gradillas ’91 Las Vegas, NV 89154-6013 Scott Ballantyne (702) 895-3161 Platinum Hotel & Spa Bill Paulos ’69 HP Personal Systems Group Cannery Casino Resorts Ken Haas ’75 Debi Benedetti Stuart H. Mann Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Lise Puckorious Beyond the Possible Dean Authority Smith Bucklin Corp. Elizabeth Blau Seyhmus Baloglu Christine Paskvan Kiely ’90 Thom Reilly Elizabeth Blau & Assoc. Associate Dean Greenspun Media Group Harrah’s Entertainment Stan Bromley James Busser Dean Kissel ’92 Patricia Sahlstrom Meadowood Napa Valley Associate Dean ADP A & W Food Services of Canada Inc. Tola R. Chin Christian Hardigree ’93 Holly Mae (Sparks) Lindsay ’99 Tom Shelbourne Qin’s Inc. Associate Dean Delmonico Steakhouse Wyndham Vacation Ownership Inc. Russ Dazzio Andy Nazarechuk ’79, ’85 MS Pat Moreo ’69, ’83 Ed.D. Christopher Silva R & R Global Hospitality Dean, UNLV Singapore Faculty Liason St. Francis Winery & Vineyards Lorna C. Donatone Pearl Brewer Fayyaz Raja ’92, ’95 Susie Southgate-Fox Sodexho Inc. Director, Graduate Studies Raja Enterprises Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Deirdre Flynn Curtis Love Sal Semola ’81 Arch Stokes, Esquire NAFEM Chair, Tourism & Convention Rampart Casino Shea, Stokes, ALC Administration Marvin M. Franklin Lynda Tache ’97 John F. Sweeney, RRP, ISHC Commercial Growth Partners Dan McLean Vegas Vino Global Resorts Inc. Chair, Recreation & Sport Douglas K. Fryett Suzanne Sylvester Management Executive Members Fryett Consulting Group Cheeseburgerland Restaurants Inc. Pat Moreo ’69, ’83 Ed.D. James Germain ’75 Robert N. Grimes Mark Waltrip Chair, Food & Beverage Castle Valley Inn Accuvia Westgate Resorts LTD Management Bill McBeath ’86 Ann Hanson John Wilson Gail Sammons ’87 MS Bellagio GES Exposition Services Dedeman Hotel & Resorts Chair, Hotel Management Anthony Santo ’84 Phil Harte Taketoshi Takemoto Gian Galassi Harte Management Ace Denken Co. Public Affairs Specialist David W. Head Claudine Williams Robyn Hadden Managing Editor Captain D’s Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. Director of Alumni & College Judy Nagai Relations E. Dean McClain Editor McClain Consulting Group Judy Nagai Director of External Relations Robyn Campbell-Ouchida ’00 MA Jordan Meisner Hyatt Hotels & Resorts Cover photo by Aaron Mayes Design & production by Reprographics/Design Services UNLV is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer Committed to Achieving Excellence Through Diversity In This Visit us at: hotel.unlv.edu Issue 8 The Green House on the Hill 10 Q & A with Jung-Ho Suh 16 Happy 40th Anniversary, Hotel College 18 Alumna of the Year Cynthia Kiser Murphey 22 A Rebel Becomes One 28 Designed to Succeed 32 Las Vegas Skyline 36 Training Ground Departments Dean’s Message ................ 2 Industry Insights ................ 3 Student Spotlight ............... 4 In the Kitchen ................... 20 Congratulations ............... 40 Alumni Updates ............... 42 Dean’s Message DEAN’S ASSOCIATES grants and contracts support some travel I’m often asked, “Where are the Dean’s and research, but most of the support for this Associates donations spent?” These are comes from our summer programs and Dean’s contributions that are made annually for those Associates money. Each year, we provide who want to maintain their membership in the faculty with “seed grants” from the Dean’s UNLV Harrah Hotel College Dean’s Associates. Associates to begin research projects, with the Individual contributions have ranged from promise that they might lead to funding from $1,000 to more than $15,000. These outside sources. contributions are accumulated in an account, I think the uses of Dean’s Associates and we draw from the account when needs contributions can be seen as expenditures arise. Any money left at the end of a year is that promote and enhance the reputation of allowed to roll over into the next year. the UNLV Harrah Hotel College. As such, we The primary use for these dollars is student urge your continued support and invite you to and faculty professional development. become a Dean’s Associate member. It is easy Students’ may request assistance for attending to make such a gift to the hotel college. Simply national conventions in association with their e-mail Judy Nagai at [email protected], Stuart H. Mann membership in the corresponding student and she will be in touch with you immediately Dean organization. For example, we help send with instructions. students each year to the national meetings of the Club Managers Association of America, THE HOSPITALITY CAMPUS AND the Professional Convention Management INNOVATION UNLV Association of America, the National Photos by R. Marsh Starks On a totally different subject, the hospitality Restaurant Show, the International Hotel and campus and the INNovation UNLV project have Restaurant Show, the National Society of moved forward since Harrah’s Entertainment Minorities in Hospitality, among others. committed $25 million toward our building There are many times when a student is project and an additional $5 million toward faced with a particular financial situation where research, recruiting and training, much of it a “standard” scholarship isn’t available. We are focused on INNovation UNLV. Several months able to use Dean’s Associates funds to help ago, UNLV issued a request for qualifications out in such situations. Many of you have heard (RFQ) to developers/contractors in order to our students talk about the impact that this gauge their interest in building and financing support has had on their lives and abilities to the hospitality campus. After receipt of achieve life’s goals. Watching the tears on their responses to the RFQ, two developers were faces and on ours in the audience is all most of selected to receive requests for proposals us need to reach into our pockets and become (RFP). We anticipate that the RFP will be issued Dean’s Associates members. by early April with proposals to be received by Sometimes we use the funds to help UNLV 60 to 90 days following. support the cost of a professional position. The proposals that we anticipate receiving As you undoubtedly know, the money that will detail the design and construction of we receive from the state of Nevada for state- a conference center and hotel and related funded positions is inadequate to meet all of infrastructure, as well as the design for a new our needs. We have created an outstanding academic building for the Harrah Hotel College. advancement team made up of the people We have been discussing this development as who work with development, alumni, career a two phase project with the first phase being services, public relations, and marketing. the construction of the hotel and conference The only state money support that we have center and the second phase the construction for this team is a partially supported position of the academic building. However, the for our director of external relations. While potential bidders have had creative financing we try to find sources outside of Dean’s ideas that may allow all of the construction to Associates money to support these positions, take place in a single phase project. We will it nevertheless is the case, when we run short, have to await the details of the proposals and that we must use these dollars. the negotiations that will follow with UNLV and With respect to faculty professional perhaps the state legislature before we truly development, again there is very limited know how the hospitality campus will unfold. 2 state support for travel and research. Faculty PREMIER ≤ SPRING 2008 Industry Insights was in a hotel a couple of months ago Here’s one more Or Else stipulation, I where I was told when I checked in that I relatively harmless: it’s a waiver I’m asked had a choice of a smoking or a nonsmoking to sign as I check into this resort hotel room. I know, I know: why this option still in Orlando where rack rates are rather exists continues to mystify. excessive: “I have requested weekday I tell the front desk I would like a delivery of USA Today. If refused, a credit of nonsmoking room. 50 cents will be applied to my room account.” This is no rates-by-the-hour motel. This is a Come again? What the heck; I sign. I also decent high-rise hotel overlooking spectacular take the time to remind the front desk that scenery — a gorgeous site patronized by I have with me my own soap, shampoo, people who can afford the extra bucks to stay conditioner, bubble bath, mouthwash, there. shoehorn, Kleenex, shower cap, and Once I’m in my room, I spot this table tent bathrobe, and would management be so atop the TV. What the table tent is, is the kind as to remove those amenities from my hotel’s version of that lecture you got years bathroom and credit my account? ago (remember?) when you were dragged Notice that in neither of those demands kicking and screaming into the principal’s are the words “please” or “thank you,” as in Stephen Michaelides office for chewing gum in class. It’s what I’m “Please do not smoke in this room” or “Thank Words, Ink going to start calling the Or Else syndrome you for not smoking.” National Advisory of hospitality management.