UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society (PSHRS) and Penn State School of Hospitality Management have opened nominations for its Annual Alumni Awards. An awards ceremony and reception for award recipients and the entire alumni and School community will be held in conjunction with the school’s 17th annual Alumni in the Classroom event in October. 

The deadline for alumni, friends and corporate employers of Penn State hospitality alumni to nominate candidates is May 1.  

This year’s award ceremony will take place on the University Park campus in the Marriott Foundation Building, the school’s Collaboratory for Inclusion and Innovation. 

"We continue to be impressed by the example our alumni are demonstrating throughout the pandemic, flourishing in spite of the headwinds the industry has faced throughout the current recovery," said Donna Quadri-Felitti, Marvin Ashner Endowed Director of the School of Hospitality Management. "Our alumni award recipients are beacons of success and are the pride of both their employers and their alma mater. We are searching for the best role models for our current cohort of promising undergraduate and doctoral students.”  

Recognition of Penn Staters in the hospitality industry began over seven decades ago and has grown to represent a broad spectrum of alumni achievements throughout the industry. Awards include Alumni of the Year; Alumni Industry Achievement; Emerging Professionals – Graduate; Emerging Professionals – Undergraduate; and others. 

“Year after year, it is incredible to see all of the accomplishments that graduates of the Penn State School of Hospitality Management are able to achieve,” said Pat Howley, director of industry and alumni relations for the School of Hospitality Management. “When our students have the opportunity to connect with these industry leaders, it only bolsters the values and work ethic being instilled in them throughout their courses.” 

Recent Alumni of the Year recipients include Ken Young, executive chairman, Spectra Food Services and Hospitality (2021); Tom Neely, president of Thomas E. Strauss Inc. and Chairman of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association (2020); and George Dabney, principal and chief financial officer, Noble Investment Group (2019). 

• View a list of previous honorees, by award.

• View criteria for all the awards and how to submit nominations.

About the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society 

The Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society was founded to strengthen all hospitality professions and enhance the reputation of the Hospitality Management program. PSHRS is an Affiliate Program Group of the Penn State Alumni Association and the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society. 

PSHRS provides a means for achieving closer fellowship among alumni, faculty and students. PSHRS serves those who are currently attending Penn State in hospitality management or who are graduates of the program, as well as those who work within the hospitality industries and have attended Penn State or are "friends" of the program. 

About the School of Hospitality Management 

Established in 1937, Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected schools of hospitality management. Its top-ranked undergraduate and doctoral programs prepare global leaders with a rigorous, diverse curriculum focused, since its inception, on engaged scholarship, featuring partnerships with Penn State's Hospitality Services, Housing and Food Services, and top global hospitality brands. It is also home to the oldest Penn State alumni program group, PSHRS. 

For more information about the school, contact Pat Howley, director of industry and alumni relations, at pjh5040@psu.edu or 814-865-6728.