Dr. Deborah T. Curtis, CMP, director of Niagara University’s Center for Events and Management Development, announced the official founding of Hotel Schools of Distinction (HSD). Students from many of the 10 founding schools located around the world participated in the simulcast announcement. The founding institutions from 8 countries include:

• Niagara University, Niagara University, NY, USA
• Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ); Quebec, Canada
• Escuela Universitaria de Hoteleria y Turismo de Sant Pol; Barcelona Spain
• International University of Applied Sciences – Bad Honnef; Bad Honnef, Germany
• HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences; Helsinki, Finland
• Hotelschool the Hague; The Hague, Netherlands
• Purdue Hospitality Management program at IPFW; Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
• Florida International University; Miami, Florida, USA
• Norwegian School of Hotel Management, University of Stavanger; Stavagenger, Norway
• Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola; Lima, Peru

HSD is a global alliance of premier hotel schools in partnership with hospitality industry leaders dedicated to creating high-quality talent by sharing knowledge and research. HSD recognizes the need for specialized, management-ready candidates to fuel the global growth of the world’s most prominent organizations and companies in the hospitality and tourism sector. The discerning hotel and tourism industry is seeking candidates that are flexible and prepared for work in a global market. HSD builds on the international platform for member schools that was originally created by Leading Hotel Schools of the World, a joint venture established in 2004 by Niagara University, the Hotelschool The Hague, and Leading Hotels of the World. Dr. Curtis, an executive board member of HSD, explained that membership in the organization is limited. “Hospitality programs must not only meet specific standards of excellence, but their faculty, and professional staff must make a commitment to ongoing continuous improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver the highest quality of education to students,” she said. Dr. Gary D. Praetzel, dean of NU’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management and one of the original founders of LHSW, noted that HSD provides even greater international opportunities and marketability for students. The hospitality and tourism industry is the world’s single largest industry, and students today need quality international experiences to be competitive in the global marketplace. To learn more about Niagara University’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, please visitwww.niagara.edu/hospitality. For info on the Hotel Schools of Distinction, go to www.hotelschoolsofdistinction.com.