Hospitality Industry Veteran Jay Litt Kicks Off Florida International University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management’s Fall Lecture Series

Interim Dean Joan Remington, Florida International University School of Hospitality & Tourism Management (far left) and  Jay Litt, FIU Advisory Board Member and Distinguished Alumnus(second from left), catch up with FIU Hospitality & Tourism Management Master’s Program students, Maria Vera (second from right); and Knute Gregory (far right) following the Oct. 22 lecture held at FIU’s Kovens Conference Center.Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, one of the leading programs of its kind in the world offering those studying hotel, foodservice and travel-related industries an unmatched experiential learning environment, welcomed FIU advisory board member and alumnus Jay Litt on Friday, Oct. 22.  Litt, a hospitality industry veteran, kicked off the FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management’s Distinguished Hospitality Leaders Lecture Series. The two-hour event was held at FIU’s on-campus Kovens Conference Center.

Litt was among FIU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management inaugural graduating class in 1973. He discussed hotel management and economic downturns from the perspective of a hotel operator to an audience of more than 200, which included current FIU students, recent alumni, and students from three high schools in Miami-Dade County.

Speaking to the important role operators can play in helping to manage a hotel before, during and after a period of economic uncertainty, Litt advised, “Downturns, part of the economics of our country, are cyclical. To avoid financial chaos when they do occur it is critical to have hotel operators as part of the deal planning who are experienced in crisis management.”

FIU’s Distinguished Hospitality Leaders Lecture Series is just one of the ways the school prepares students for leadership positions in the hotel, foodservice and travel-related industries, while continuously elevating the hospitality profession and providing students with unique access to top industry professionals.  This includes Litt and many other prominent alumni.

“FIU has meant everything to me,” added Litt, during his lecture. “FIU isn’t just going to a school, you are entering a career and what you learn here at FIU you can take anywhere in the world.”

Maria Vera, a Master’s FIU Hospitality & Tourism Management student, commented that “Mr. Litt’s rules for hotel management were interesting and his passion for the industry is truly motivating.”

Following Litt’s presentation, FIU held a raffle giving four lucky students an opportunity to win scholarships up to $1,000.  Winners included Carla Auricchio of Miami, first semester Master’s Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) student, $1,000; Scott Snow of Waterville, Maine, first semester Master’s HTM student, $500; Liang Zhang of China, fourth semester Bachelor’s HTM student, $250; and Tao Wang of Shenzhen, China, first semester Master’s HTM student, $250.

The next speaker in FIU’s Distinguished Hospitality Leaders Lecture Series will be Leland C. Pillsbury, Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Thayer Lodging Group.  Pillsbury, a pre-eminent member of the hospitality industry, will speak to students and FIU alumni on Friday, Nov. 19, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.  The theme of his lecture, presented at the FIU Biscayne Bay Campus, will be “We Are All Entrepreneurs,” as it relates to the hospitality industry.

Located in Miami – one of the world’s most recognized tourism-driven economic regions, providing students a unique living laboratory of unmatched experiential learning opportunities – Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management maintains a dynamic curriculum designed to meet the changing needs and demands of the industry.  This includes campuses with state-of-the-art facilities, an exceptionally high graduate placement record, and one of the most extensive international reaches of any leading hospitality school with its 1,000-student Tianjin, China campus.

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