Cornell University School of Hotel Administration - Profile

Profile

The school enrolled 895 undergraduates and 67 graduate students in 2011, hailing from almost 50 countries; it is Cornell's second smallest undergraduate college. Its curriculum encompasses all facets of general business management with a focus on the hospitality industry. Although not required, many students choose to work at the Statler Hotel to supplement their education at the school. SHA employs 60 full-time faculty members, most with field management experience.

In 1954, Conrad Hilton, who was closely associated with the school after his company bought the Statler hotel chain, called it "the greatest hotel school in the world." Conrad Hilton later became more closely associated with another school after he founded the Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston in 1969.

SHA's course catalog includes several offerings popular among students in other Cornell colleges, notably HADM 4430, Introduction to Wines, a wine tasting course which enrolls 600–900 students each semester, as well as a 2-credit cooking course.

SHA also boasts technical courses such as Real Estate Finance and Investments (HADM 4428), Securitization and Structured Finance (HADM 4425), and Investment Portfolio Analysis (HADM 4429). Roughly 40% of undergraduates go into banking or consulting fields after graduation.

Experiential education is prevalent in the SHA curriculum. Hands-on learning opportunities include:

• Hotel Leadership Development Program
• Hotel Ezra Cornell
• Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition
• Cornell International Real Estate Case Competition
• Guest Chefs Series

Through its centers, institute, and more than 100 corporate partnerships, SHA brings together hospitality business leaders, scholars, and entrepreneurs. The Center for Real Estate and Finance promotes student education and serves the real estate and finance industry. The Center for Hospitality Research creates and shares new knowledge with the industry and also promotes and encourages student research. The Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship supports students’ drive to become entrepreneurs.

SHA's Office of Executive Education offers custom-blended programming, online and onsite instruction, and distance-learning options to hospitality professionals. The school has more than 20,000 executive education alumni.

In a 2007 Newsweek article dubbing Cornell the "Hottest Ivy", SHA was mentioned to be "considered the world's best."

Fictional Hotelies have included:

• In Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart, a hotel manager attended the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration because it was the only Ivy League school he got into
• In Dirty Dancing, Neil
• In 30 Rock, Tracy Jordan's friend, Fat Balls
• In Hotel by Arthur Hailey, Peter McDermott, manager of the St. Gregory.

Some notable alumni of the school include the founders of Alamo Rent-A-Car; Arby's; Burger King; Dunkin' Donuts; Duty Free Shoppers Group ; HVS Global Hospitality Services; and PriceWaterhouseCoopers Global Hospitality Consulting. (For more, List of Cornell University alumni)