UNL Hospitality, Restaurant, & Tourism Management

Happy International Pineapple Day! Did you know that the pineapple has been the symbol of hospitality since the days of the early American colonies?

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Vernetta Kosalka, Ed.D., CHE, Assistant Professor of Practice within our Hospitality Restaurant Tourism Management program, for earning the prestigious Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) designation from the American Hotel and Lodging Education Institute! This certification attests to Dr. Kosalka’s successful completion of rigorous knowledge and experience requirements, reflecting her unwavering commitment to maintaining the highest standards of competence as a hospitality professional.

We are incredibly proud of Dr. Kosalka’s dedication and achievements!

For over 50 years, school lunch professionals have been coming to East Campus in June to gain new skills and learn new ideas to improve their lunch programs. We are excited to be hosting 50 attendees from all across the state this week. Thanks Jennifer Brower for teaching about some tasty food.

Congratulations to Dr. Ajai Ammachathram on his election to the CentralCHRIE Board as Vice President, which will officially begin this July at the annual meeting in Montreal, Canada.

We are so excited to have reached this point! We look forward to moving into this amazing space next summer.

Construction set to begin on HRTM academic space at Scarlet Hotel | College of Education and Human Sciences The Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management (HRTM) program is one step closer to making its new state-of-the-art space at the Scarlet Hotel on Nebraska’s Innovation Campus a reality.

Join Dr. Ammachathram on this amazing trip to India in January 2025

We had a great time celebrating National Tourism Day on May 7. The talented students in our Intro to Events class showcased their skills and dedication by planning and executing a phenomenal event! From concept to ex*****on, they demonstrated professionalism, creativity, and attention to detail. Their hard work and commitment shone through in every aspect of the event.

And what a turnout it was! The event drew in not just students but also industry professionals and alumni, a true testament to the impact and quality of their work.

We had a great time hosting students from Lincoln Southwest yesterday. They were able to see the future home of the HRTM program and tour the Scarlet Hotel.

Yesterday we had our senior send-off for all of our incredible seniors who will be graduating at the end of next week! We are so proud of all your accomplishments and the incredible gifts you will bring to the world! Congratulations graduates!

Please join us on Tuesday, May 7th from 12-2pm in Carolyn Pope Edwards Hall Room #227 to celebrate International Tourism Day!
Like this post, tag 3 friends, and follow this account to receive extra entries into our raffle!
A few of our giveaway items include:
*One-night stay and complimentary breakfast at the Cornhusker Marriott
*New pair of New Balances
*$100 gift card to Ruhlman's Steakhouse
And more!

Winners must be present at the time of the raffle to receive their prize.

Congrats to our soon to be alum!

Is this what they mean by “Nebraska nice?” 😊

Senior .vavrova has been announced as Nebraska’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient!

Cap off a successful school year at the 2024 National Tourism Day Celebration on May 7 from 12-2 p.m.!

Guest speakers, light food and refreshments, and raffle prizes will all be included in the year-end celebration hosted by UNL HRTM students.

HRTM Student Katie was the lucky person to find Nick on a Stick (aka picture of Dean Nick Pace) today. He was hiding in Leverton Hall. He will be out hiding on both East and City Campus tomorrow as we wind up CEHS Week.

Exciting things are coming for our program and our faculty are hard at work planning. Stay tuned for upcoming news.

Our students have arrived in Georgia and are ready to start working at the acclaimed Augusta National Golf Course. They are going to learn so much in the next 12 days.

We were very happy to host Phil Ruhlman, John Benton and W***y Theisen to campus today. They spent time sharing about their experiences in Hospitality and their new restaurant venture in Ashland, NE. The Intro to Hospitality students enjoyed hearing from these amazing hospitality professionals.

Some of our students had the opportunity to attend the CMAA World Conference in Las Vegas. It was a great opportunity for them to take part in educational sessions and network with professionals from all over.

Understanding Tourism: Nebraska's Sleeping Giant Understanding Tourism: Nebraska's Sleeping Giant

We held our Career Expo yesterday. We love welcoming industry professionals to campus to visit with students about internship and job opportunities in the Hospitality industry.

It is time to . Visit the Glow Big Red website to show your support https://glowbigred.unl.edu.

We are excited to for the 2024 HRTM Career Expo to be held February 22 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm in the East Campus Union

Registration is now open and will be capped at 40 participants.

The cost to participate is $125. This price includes your table and one parking permit. Additional parking permits are available for $8 each.

https://cehsvl02.unl.edu/ccp/hrtm/

Please let me know if you have any questions.

HRTM Career Expo 2024 | CEHS | University of Nebraska–Lincoln Thank you for registering for the HRTM 2024 Career Expo. This event will give you the opportunity to interact with over 100 future hospitality professionals that are exploring career opportunities and internships.

Congratulations to our board member John Ricks on winning this prestige award

This week, Nebraska Tourism executive director John Ricks received the J. Desmond Slattery Professional Marketing Award at the Marketing Outlook Forum in Houston. The award recognizes his outstanding contributions to travel and tourism marketing, showcasing his innovative campaigns and dedication to promoting Nebraska as a top travel destination. 🏆

Today is National Plan for Vacation Day! Each year, Americans leave more than 600 million vacation days unused. Vacations are a great chance to check many different areas with hospitality - restaurants, hotels, events, local festivals, etc. Make sure to plan a fun vacation soon.

Earlier today, Nebraska Hospitality Association and UNL Hospitality, Restaurant, & Tourism Management hosted the first “Tomorrow's Culinary Stars event” at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus Union! This was a fun and interactive event where attendees got to sample small plate tastings prepared by ProStart students.

The proceeds from this fundraiser will fund a culinary team and a management team to NPSI (National ProStart Invitational) at no cost to the students or educators. This event also allowed ProStart students the chance to test out recipes and receive feedback before the statewide competition.

Dr. Ajai Ammachathram and his students hosted a station for students and guests to check out and learn more about the hospitality programs offered at the UNL.

Three of us are in the office and on behalf of the entire HRTM crew - we wanted to wish everyone a happy first week of school!

We are excited to for the 2024 HRTM Career Expo to be held February 22 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm in the East Campus Union

Registration is now open and will be capped at 40 participants.

The cost to participate is $125. This price includes your table and one parking permit. Additional parking permits are available for $8 each.

Employers can register at

HRTM Career Expo 2024 | CEHS | University of Nebraska–Lincoln Thank you for registering for the HRTM 2024 Career Expo. This event will give you the opportunity to interact with over 100 future hospitality professionals that are exploring career opportunities and internships.

There are many people behind the scenes who work diligently on behalf of our students during their educational journeys with UNL and our very own Joan Kunzman is one perfect example!
We are proud of Joan's initiative and the work she is doing as a member of Hospitality Internships' newly formed Academic Advisory Committee 👏👏
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hospitality-internships_hospitalityinternships-activity-7148668969095200768-wAE8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Nebraska College of Education and Human Sciences
UNL Hospitality, Restaurant, & Tourism Management