A-State’s Karen McDaniel Sees Enclave of Hospitality from Embassy

Karen McDaniel, Chair of the Management & Marketing Department at Arkansas State University

Karen McDaniel has a front-row seat for Arkansas State’s implementation of a hospitality management degree program. The university started the degree in conjunction with the opening of the $58 million Embassy Suites & Red Wolf Convention Center this fall in Jonesboro. McDaniel, 43, has chaired the Management & Marketing Department in the Griffin College of Business since 2018.

McDaniel earned a bachelor’s and MBA from Union College in Jackson, Tennessee, and a doctorate in organizational behavior and human resources from the University of Memphis.

A-State’s new hospitality management degree program will be under McDaniel’s direction, and she is overseeing the hiring of the program’s director.

What factors led to the creation of the hospitality management degree?

When O’Reilly Hospitality Management announced the intent to build a world-class Embassy Suites & Convention Center on Arkansas State University’s campus, our department was asked to develop a hospitality management program. Having a hotel, restaurant and convention center on campus is going to provide so many opportunities for our students. Embassy Suites will have a “living laboratory” space for our students to have real world experience. It is so important for students to get hands-on experience.

What are the growth projections for the hospitality industry?

I was just having a conversation about this with Kraig Pomrenke, the general manager of Embassy Suites by Hilton at Arkansas State. According to Mr. Pomrenke, hiring continues to be strong for graduates from hospitality colleges and in general for anyone looking for a career.

As millennials account for more than 25% of the U.S. population and will make up 50% of the workforce, the hospitality industry continues to be very appealing to this group. With flexible scheduling, experience-based employment, lower barriers to entry, technology advancements and professional development opportunities, the hospitality industry is one of the few that has an immediate appeal to new members of the global workforce.

What are the qualities you want the program’s leader to have?

We are looking for a director with industry experience and who has done current research in the hospitality field and has a solid record of teaching excellence. Our new director needs to be a leader who will partner with the community to build relationships with hotels, restaurants and other hospitality businesses in the region to establish internships for our students.

What are Arkansas State’s expectations for the degree program?

The new director will be instrumental in setting the expectations for the program. Embassy Suites has already provided internships to our students. We have high school and transfer students visit our campus for preview days, and we are already getting inquiries about our hospitality program. I believe this program will attract students from across the region. Students will have the opportunity to train alongside leaders in the hospitality field with Embassy Suites, Hilton Hotels and O’Reilly Hospitality right on our campus.

What are the challenges presented by a new degree program?

The biggest challenge is developing the curriculum and recruiting for a new program. Once we hire a director, I believe this program will become very popular.