About Us

Our Mission

Our faculty educate and develop proven hospitality specialists for careers in culinary, hotel, restaurant, and related service industries with an emphasis on applied learning.

Our Programs Our Faculty Our Facilities & Labs

Accreditation

The Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA) has awarded to the Hospitality and Tourism Department, SUNY Buffalo State a Grant of Accreditation effective 2021-2028

ACPHA was formed in 1989 and began accrediting baccalaureate programs in 1991. A fundamental purpose of the accreditation process is to ensure program quality. Both students and employers look for accredited programs to ensure high academic standards.

Certification

Hospitality and tourism majors can receive professional certification through the American Culinary Federation, the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, and Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS).

Individuals with extensive work experience in the hospitality industry are encouraged to explore alternative methods of earning college credit through experiential learning or course challenge.

History

Our department has evolved through the hard work of dedicated educators, which began in 1962 with Myrtle V. Caudell, a pioneer in education from the Normal School. Our roots were in home economics, nutrition and food science, environmental and consumer studies, human development, and family and community relations.

This foundation would spur the growth of applied programs in hotel and restaurant management, culinary arts, and travel and tourism over a 30-year period.

A legacy of external support by the Statler Foundation which began in the 1980s for dozens of students in the new program continues today.

An aggressive effort to complete a program self-study in 1992 resulted in the department’s accreditation by the Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA).
The tradition of honoring local “hospitality ambassadors” began in 1995.
A new Bachelor of Science Degree in Hospitality Administration was completed and approved in 1996.
The addition of two academic concentrations was instituted in 1997, a minor for hospitality and the Statler Foundation awarded Buffalo State a grant to establish a program for Minority Career Development in Hotel Management.
A third concentration in Culinary Arts was approved in 1999.

Scholarships and awards beginning in 2001 were granted in amounts of $1,000 and applications for the competitive scholarship of excellence became available to eligible students.

A grant for Career Development in Hotel Management for $360,000 jumpstarted the department’s activities and recruitment of students.

Numerous private donors also contributed to efforts to grow the popular programs in hospitality administration and continue to this today.

Campus House, SUNY's substantial investment in the hospitality program resulted in a dynamic teaching-and-research laboratory and opened in 2002.

The department’s outreach to alumni professionals was formally established in 2004. The current list consists of over 150 alumni with leadership positions in a wide range of hospitality sectors and supporting industries.

During September 2005, the department joined the School of the Professions and formed the Eta Sigma Delta Hospitality National Honor Society.

The National Society for Minorities in Hospitality became part of student life in 2006.

Study abroad programs became part of an elective course which significantly expanded students’ cultural competencies. Faculty-led programs from 2013 to 2017 featured study experiences in Italy, France, Ireland, Spain, and Greece.

During this time, beyond the classroom learning was taking shape and the Mise En Place Catering Club was formed.

On February 9, 2017, Governor Cuomo announced the completion of $27.6 million in Caudell Hall renovations which were combined with one of the largest and most substantial gifts from the Statler Foundation. A signature space that supports the departments of Hospitality and Tourism; Health, Nutrition, and Dietetics; Social Work; and Speech-Language Pathology was created.

In 2019, a partnership was solidified with a global leader and manufacturer of food products for training and development of chefs in Caudell Hall culinary labs.