The world leader of hotel schools, Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration has built an international reputation among hoteliers and restaurateurs for its executive education program.  Hospitality and tourism leaders are invited to attend Cornell's three-day executive education courses this winter, taught by Cornell faculty, at Oregon State University - Cascades in the mountain town of Bend, Oregon.

The collaboration between Cornell and OSU-Cascades launched in August 2010 when a cohort of hospitality professionals came to Bend to attend an intense three-day analysis of marketing issues taught by one of Cornell’s top teaching faculty.  Participant Michael Hraba of San Francisco’s Waterford Hotels and Inns said, “The Cornell program drives you to think differently about your role in your organization and perform at a more strategic level than you realized was possible.”

The new winter courses (perfectly timed to incorporate a mountain ski vacation) focus on leadership development and interactive marketing.  Said Tom Kline, Executive Director of Executive Education for the School of Hotel Administration, “These are two areas where hospitality professionals continually seek to improve, and where Cornell has contributed extensive research and expertise.”

Professor Bruce Tracey will teach Leadership and Motivating in the Real World at OSU-Cascades from January 17-19, 2011. In the course, participants will examine the characteristics of authentic leadership and how to use motivate employees to peak performance.  An associate professor at Cornell and the current editor of the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, Tracey has won numerous teaching awards and consulted with Four Seasons (Toronto, Calif.) and Moevenpick Hotels (Zurich).  His research interests include training, leadership, employment law, and turnover costs.

Professor Lisa Klein Pearo will lead Interactive Marketing for the Hospitality Industry from January 20-22, 2011. Professor Pearo earned her DBA and MBA from the Harvard Business School.  Her research focuses on information search, learning, and decision-making in interactive environments.  Her course is designed to provide participants with the tools, frameworks, and insights to develop, implement, and measure interactive marketing activities across mobile, social media, direct mail, e-mail, and Internet display advertising platforms – all as part of an integrated communications program.

OSU-Cascades Vice President Becky Johnson said, “At OSU-Cascades, we’re developing programs that build leaders and strengthen the economy locally and nationally – the collaboration with Cornell’s hotel school is a great example of that."

Courses are limited in size and early registration is encouraged.  Participants will overnight in hotel properties nearby in downtown Bend.

Discover more about the Cornell Hotel School executive education offerings at OSU-Cascades.  Visit http://www.osucascades.edu/cornellexecprogram/home  or contact Heidi Berkman at 541-480-8700 or heidiaberkman@msn.com. 

About the OSU-Cascades Campus – Located in Bend, Ore., OSU-Cascades is the first branch campus in the Oregon University System.  OSU-Cascades features small class sizes and one-on-one mentoring by outstanding faculty in such areas as Business Administration with a Hospitality Management option, Energy Engineering Management, and Tourism and Outdoor Leadership.