USF’s hospitality school establishes key partnerships

To provide hands-on experiences for students, the University of South Florida has forged new partnerships with two of the biggest leaders in the local hospitality industry.

On Tuesday, hotel operator Mainsail Lodging and Philadelphia-based hospitality management firm Aramark signed a multi-year partnership with USF’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The effort will result in a combined value of $3.6 million. 

“These new afflictions build on the innovative hospitality teaching lab program started by McKibbon Hospitality,” Moez Limayem, dean of the Muma College of Business, said building during the Tuesday announcement in the business building.

McKibbon Hospitality entered a partnership with USF last year that allows USF hospitality management students to learn from industry experts and give them access to work with large brands such as Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt. 

Through Mainsail, which invests in world-class hotels, students will have the opportunity to earn experiences throughout its properties, including its hotels in Tampa Bay such as Epicurean, the Fenway Hotel in Dunedin, The Karol Hotel in Clearwater and the Waterline Villas and Marina on Anna Maria Island.

USF hands Aramark and Mainsail executives a personalized jersey as a gift from USF after the trio signed the agreements. 

The five-year agreement with Mainsail provides a new funded fellowship program for 10 students per year. The value of the agreement with Mainsail alone is $1.25 million.

Juli Corlew, vice president and managing partner at Mainsail, explained how she didn’t graduate from a hospitality school as she majored in accounting in school; however, she was working at a hotel at the time and continued to climb up the ladder in the hotel industry. Thirty years later, she is still in the business of hospitality. 

“Everything is so much more technical and advanced. A culinary career is no longer just about cooking, but it involves health and wellness, sustainability and being able to predict future trends. The same goes for design, digital marketing, technology and finance,” she continued, adding the need for procurement managers: “We need candidates who have ingrained the spirit of hospitality with the training and education of university programs combined with experimental learning.” 

Meanwhile, Aramark, which currently acts as the main concessionaire at USF providing food services, is making an eight-year agreement to provide paid fellowships for up to 10 students per year. Aramark’s agreement is valued at $2.5 million.