On March 20, 2014, guests, friends, and students of the Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) department and Consumer & Family Studies/Dietetics (CSF/D) department gathered in The Vista Room to dedicate San Francisco State University’s first donor recognition wall.
Kicked off by Professor Colin Johnson, HTM department chair, the ceremony celebrated and honored individuals and companies who have supported HTM and CFS/D departments.
Beginning in the early 90s, the HTM and CFS/D departments paired together to jointly operate The Vista Room and MieleFood Labs, and support students in local, regional and global hospitality and food service industries.
Through its innovative hands-on instruction, students prepare and serve lunch five times a week in The Vista Room restaurant, as well as host receptions on and off campus.
With these high-visibility, high-impact programs, the HTM program has more than doubled in size over the past ten years. It is the largest hospitality and tourism management program in Northern California and the second largest program in the state.
The success of the HTM and CFS/D programs is due to the many generous donors and supporters of the program. These donors, whose financial contributions range from $5000 to over $250,000, were celebrated for their gifts during the dedication ceremony. Specific recognition was given to long-time friend of San Francisco State University and generous supporter of the HTM program, Ms. Nancy Lee Mar, as well as the program’s largest funder, The J.Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation.
After speeches by Professor Nancy Rabolt, chair of the Consumer & Family Studies and Dietetics department, College of Business Dean Linda Oubré, and SF State President Leslie Wong, a wall plaque honoring the donors was unveiled in the exterior hallway
President Wong also invited two proponents of HTM and CFS/D, Mr. Man J. Kim, Lori’s Diner International, and Mr. Peter Koehler, InterContinental Hotels of San Francisco, to speak on behalf of their support for the students and the program.