CF Hosts
Faculty Interns
The Club Foundation enjoyed
the privilege of hosting its 2005 Faculty Internship recipients
during the annual CMAA Legislative/Leadership Conference,
held September 10 - 12, 2005. Ms Lianne Briggs, Ferris
State University, Ms. Kathleen M. O'Brien, EdM, CHE, Buffalo
State College, Mr. William D. Frye, Ph.D., CHE, Niagara University,
and Mr. Paul Wiener, Northern Arizona University attended
this special three-day event. Each intern had the unique
opportunity to join scheduled sessions and to interact with
chapter leaders. Mr. Frye observed, “The Club
Foundation faculty internship experience is an invaluable
opportunity to learn more about CMAA and the profession of
club management. I encourage each hospitality school to have
at least one faculty member apply for the internship so they
can serve as the point person in their respective schools
on club management issues and education.”
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As interns, faculty members
are provided with a comprehensive view of the private club
industry by means of a three-day orientation, followed by
extensive hands-on experience in private clubs. This
experience is extremely valuable because it provides an in-depth
understanding of the club environment. Thus, each intern
is able to greatly enhance the club management aspect of
the existing hospitality curriculum. Mr. Wiener remarked, “To
me, the whole experience was another demonstration of the
way CMAA operates: thorough, complete and a devotion to excellence. CMAA
provided a complete view of the organization’s operations
and committed substantial time and resources to making the
presentation thorough. Most organizations would do
a ‘once over lightly’, but that is not the way
CMAA does things. That is in line with the rigor and
quality of the CCM process and the BMI program.”
Friday morning the interns
gathered at CMAA National Headquarters for a welcome breakfast
and time to mingle with each other. The rest of the
day was devoted to detailed presentations given by all CMAA
sections; the interns were inundated with comprehensive information
pertaining to each department’s role within CMAA. As
an added bonus, interns received a notebook with brochures
and handouts from the various departments and were supplied
with more than 20 books for use in conjunction with the existing
hospitality curricula at their respective institutions. “I
found the Faculty Internship to be extremely useful. Now
I have a better understanding of what each department at
CMAA headquarters does and can better direct my requests
for assistance,” noted Ms. Briggs.
The day ended with a tour
and dinner hosted by Ms. Sandy Howland and Mr. Thomas Rodebaugh
at the Metropolitan Club – Washington. The tour
was absolutely fabulous and the staff was extremely generous
with their time and knowledge. Ms. Howland and Mr.
Rodebaugh graciously served as “docents” and
escorted the interns throughout the club offices, the wine
cellar, the kitchen, dining rooms, library, and recreation
rooms. The evening concluded with a wonderful four-star
dinner. The Metropolitan Club staff was extremely professional,
amenable, and accommodating of the faculty. The
evening provided the interns with a wealth of information
and they were very excited at the prospect of sharing this
information with their students.
The group of faculty interns
then spent Saturday morning at the Chevy Chase Club with
Mr. Luke O’Boyle, CCM, General Manager. Mr. O’Boyle
was extremely generous with his time and escorted the interns
through the business offices, kitchens, dining rooms, and
recreational building. Needless to say, the tour provided
the interns with an excellent “behind the scenes” view
of a country club. Ms. O’Brien stated, “The
tours of the Metropolitan Club in D.C. and the Chevy Chase
Club in Maryland were outstanding. Club Managers Thomas
E. Rodebaugh, CCM and Luke A. O’Boyle, CCM shared their
unique professional experiences with the faculty interns. They
ranged from the challenges of construction projects to sustaining
quality service that members want. These experiences
can be translated into valuable lessons for effective teaching
in the classroom.”
The remainder of
the interns’ time was consumed with attending various
education sessions and socializing with other CMAA members
and national staff. Needless to say, the interns
were greatly impressed with the knowledge they gained and
excited about the prospect of implementing this valuable
information into their class lectures. Mr. Frye said, “As
evidenced by my faculty internship experience, the professionals
of CMAA and The Club Foundation stand ready to assist hospitality
educators to grow the emerging field of private club management
as a recognized and accepted alternative for students to
more traditional hotel and commercial restaurant management
opportunities.” |