Dr. Bonnie Knutson Named Acting Director of The School of Hospitality Business

Honored for Lifetime Academic Achievement by The School's Alumni Association

. August 07, 2014

alt text East Lansing, Michigan - August 7, 2014 - It has been quite a week for Dr. Bonnie Knutson. Last Wednesday, July 30, she was named the Acting Director of The School of Hospitality Business, effective August 16 after Dr. Ron Cichy leaves that position after serving for 26 years. And on Thursday, July 31, The School's Alumni Association presented her with its Lifetime Academic Achievement Award in San Diego, CA during the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) annual conference.

“Bonnie's blood runs green and white, and she exudes Spartan energy,” says Dr. Cichy. “She is perfect for the Acting Director role. We congratulate her and stand beside her, and by honoring her with the Lifetime Academic Achievement Award, we bring honor to what she continues to do for our students.”

Bonnie J. Knutson has taught in The School since the early 1980's, and is well known for her lively teaching style, as well as the creative and rigorous projects she assigns in her Hospitality Business Marketing classes. Alumni from the 80's through today still remember their projects: the late nights, learning to work as a team; being encouraged to think outside the box; and being proud of a professionally researched and delivered presentation.

Dr. Bonnie is widely known as an authority on emerging lifestyle trends and creative marketing strategies, and she often consults with business leaders who want to understand and take advantage of changing consumer demands. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and on CNN. She has also had articles appear in numerous academic and business publications, and she is a past editor of The Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing.

With her wit and entertaining style, Dr. Bonnie is a frequent speaker at business and association meetings. She has been a featured presenter for the National Restaurant Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Meeting Professionals International, Club Managers Association of America, National Automatic Merchandising Association, as well as financial, health care, automotive, and education organizations throughout the United States and around the globe.

Dr. Bonnie has earned numerous honors and awards. She has been named a Michigan State University Distinguished Faculty Member and MSU Distinguished Alumna. In 2011, she was honored as The School's Hospitality Association/Alumni Association Faculty Member of the Year. Dr. Bonnie was given the esteemed Withrow Award for teaching and research in the Broad College of Business and has won the prestigious Golden Key Teaching Excellence Award for outstanding instruction and dedication to students. The Advertising Education Foundation named her a National Scholar.

Dr. Bonnie is on the Advisory Boards of the Food Industry Institute; the Travel, Tourism and Recreation Resource Center; and the Advisory Council for the MSU Wharton Center. She is a member of the American Marketing Association and the American Marketing Research Association.

“This award from The School's Alumni Association is a measure of Dr. Bonnie's influence in the academic world, to be sure,” says Alumni Association President Bruce Lange (BA '78), managing director of the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, AZ. “But it also reflects her dedication to MSU and The School, and the effective way she has helped prepare her students to succeed in our industry. She is very deserving of this honor.”

Bravissima, Dr. Bonnie Knutson

We Are the School™

“WE” represents the tens of thousands of relationships among students, faculty, alumni, and industry partners. “THE” reflects our 87-year foundation of preparing the hospitality industry's managers and operators. Today The School also emphasizes real estate and thinking like the owner throughout the curriculum, for all our students.

About The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University:

Michigan State University: Creating Knowledge and Transforming Lives
Recognized as the top-ranked hospitality business school, The School has a unique, industry-specific position within Michigan State University's Broad College of Business. Celebrating its 87th anniversary year in 2014, The School has almost 10,000 graduates worldwide, including a number of leading academicians and industry executives who have earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Founded in 1927, The School offers an exceptionally well-crafted curriculum, taught by innovative professors who are leading textbook authors, sought-after consultants, and respected researchers. The mission of The School is:
to inspire continuous learning by empowering present and future managers to ACQUIRE knowledge, skills, and global Hospitality Business leadership positions
to create knowledge by engaging in collaborative theoretical and applied research for the benefit of undergraduate and graduate students, Hospitality Businesses, and the community of hospitality management scholars
to engage our Hospitality Business partners through outreach and service, and to ENHANCE global Hospitality Business economic, community, and academic development and
to continuously improve The School's global leadership position in Hospitality Business operations, management, real estate development, and ownership.