Welcome

Welcome to the first edition of At Your Service, our departmental newsletter. We are excited to share the latest department news during this exciting time for Hospitality and Retail Management.

Our outstanding faculty researchers have been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps grant for $50,000 (the department’s first NSF grant) and another $50,000 grant from Cotton Inc.! We’ve added Fashion Merchandising as a concentration and minor to our bachelor’s degree in Retail Management.

Exploring new technologies for our students, I attended the Project Voice Conference where Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and even the NFL gathered to further develop voice-assisted intelligence, such as Amazon's Alexa. Information gained from the conference will propel our students into the future. I will be addressing next year’s conference, so keep an eye out for all things AI, VR, and Voice related to HRM.

Perhaps most exciting for the Department is the announcement of a $1,270,000 renovation for Skyviews! Skyviews will undergo a complete transformation this summer. We look forward to welcoming you to the all-new Skyviews this fall.

I encourage you to share your news and accomplishments with us so we can share with the HRM community and partners in future editions of this newsletter. Thank you for your continued interest and support of Hospitality and Retail Management.

Robert P. Jones, Ph.D.
Department Chair, Associate Professor
President, American Collegiate Retailing Association
Department of Hospitality and Retail Management
College of Human Sciences

Researchers in Engineering, Human Sciences Combining to Help Online Shoppers

Retail Management Master’s student and research assistant, Francine Bruess, has teamed up with retail management faculty Dr. Julie Chang and Dr. Jo Woo Chong from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering department. The team has received a $50,000 grant from the National Science Foundation I-Corps Program, the first grant to be awarded to the Hospitality and Retail Management Department from a science foundation, for their innovative Smart Mirror App technology.

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Retail faculty awarded with the Cotton Inc. Grant

Faculty in the College of Human Sciences received $47,598 in funding for the proposal titled Integration of Digital Cotton and Cotton TBL Practices in Fashion Merchandising. Funding was awarded in whole through a competitive grant by the
Importer Support Program of the Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated.

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Hands-On Approach to Experiential Learning: Hospitality Students Gain Unique Career Skills

Students enrolled in the Department of Hospitality and Retail Management (HRM), particularly students pursuing a bachelor's degree in Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management (RHIM), have the opportunity for hands-on learning that goes beyond the classroom and prepares them for their future careers.

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Gift from Moody Foundation to Create World-Class Customer Experience and Innovative Student Learning Opportunities at Skyviews Restaurant

Skyviews Restaurant will take a significant step forward in serving its clients and students, thanks to a $585,000 gift from the Moody Foundation that will fund extensive renovations for the restaurant. Texas Tech University and the College of Human Sciences will match the gift, bringing the total funds to $1,265,000.

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We Invite You to Invest in the Future of the Hospitality and Retail Management (HRM) Department

Thank you for the valued role you play in educating the hospitality and retail leaders of tomorrow. From lab experiences like Skyviews Restaurant to the newly developed Center for Global Understanding of Experiential and Sustainable Tourism (GUEST), HRM invites you to explore all the ways that you can partner with us to enhance the future of the department and our students.

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Exploring Asia and Austrailia for Research

Dr. Tunmin (Catherine) Jai's sabbatical is taking her on a journey to collect data for her book project (temporarily titled: Omni-Channel Retailing). Jai was invited to give a workshop at Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taiwan, in March. She will also be visiting Australia to further her research during the Spring semester of 2020.

New Fashion Merchandising Concentration and Minor Available for Texas Tech Students

The Department of Hospitality and Retail Management is now offering a concentration in Fashion Merchandising for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in Retail Management. Undergraduate students can also now minor in Fashion Merchandising.

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Retail Summit Costa Rica

Associate Chair Deborah Fowler, Ph.D., attended the Retail Summit at Texas Tech University - Costa Rica on Feb 21st and 22nd to present “How Retailers are Adapting Virtual and Augmented Reality to their Business Models”, along with other applications of Virtual Rreality in retail and how is is being used at Texas Tech in HRM. Currently, all students who take the undergraduate Category Management course have the opportunity to become a Certified InContext Solutions ShopperMX Specialist.

Skyviews Dinner Series

Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management students will design and serve a five-course meal, featuring seasonal and local fare, for a true culinary experience that can’t be found anywhere else in Lubbock.

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Get WSET® Certified

Now offered in RHIM 4311, Wines of the World, students can get Level 1 Wine & Spirit Education Trust certified. This certification is often required by alcohol sales and distribution companies, such as Southern Glazers. Receiving this certification in a senior level course puts students ahead in their search for jobs.

However, RHIM 4311 is not your only option if you want to get WSET certified. Through the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute, Lubbock residents can get certified up to level 2. Dr. Natalia Velikova and Trey Blankenship, both faculty of the Department of Hospitality and Retail Management, are certified at a Level 3. Dr. Velikova is the current instructor of RHIM 4311 and Blankenship currently instructs the WSET locals’ course.

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Lubbock, TX | 79409-1162 US

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