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July 18, 2002--The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation awarded $600,000 to the University of Delaware Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management (HRIM) to establish the Marriott Center for Hospitality and Tourism.
The Marriott Center will include a high-tech, flexible set of classrooms and an experimental guest room in the new Marriott Courtyard currently under construction on the UD campus. Marriott Foundation funds will also help refurbish Raub Hall, the department’s new campus headquarters.
In announcing the grant, University President David Roselle said, “This generous gift from the Marriott Foundation will provide critical resources for the continued advancement of the HRIM program in educating and preparing our students for success. Such support from a foundation partner is especially gratifying and makes a true difference in our ability to fulfill our mission.”
A Marriott Foundation spokesperson said, “We’re pleased to make this investment in the University of Delaware’s highly respected hospitality program. It’s important that students learn the software applications crucial to effective decision-making and develop the skills necessary to effectively solve the types of problems commonplace in the hospitality industry.”
HRIM chair Dr. Fred DeMicco said, “The Marriott Center for Hospitality and Tourism will provide our faculty and students with a state-of-the-art room for lodging-related classes that we can also use for delivering educational services to industry professionals. The new center will have full video conferencing and wireless technology capability as well as the Group Systems software. We’re very excited by the possibilities the Marriott Center will offer for education and training.”
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