The Legacy of Dr. Michael D. Olsen of Virginia Tech: Top world hospitality education leaders are disciples of Dr. Olsen’s Strategic Management teachings

Dedicated to Dr. Michael D. Olsen, the new Strategic Management Kendall-Hunt Publishers textbook co-written by Dr. Fred DeMicco ( a former Ph.D. student of Dr. Olsen) and with contributions from former Ph.D students of Dr. Mike Olsen, covers strategic planning for hospitality firms as the world of hospitality and travel is rapidly changing. Abrupt shifts in the external environment can have an enormous impact literally overnight.

Strategic Management for Hospitality & Travel: Today and Tomorrow focuses on strategy for companies during a time of prosperity and uncertainty. Written with an entrepreneurial and an environmental-scanning approach, this NEW title helps students learn to read and interpret the trends in society that bring opportunity and threats to hospitality firms.

Strategic Management for Hospitality & Travel:

• Serves as a primer on strategy and strategic management while heavily focusing on the scanning and careful observation of the complex, dynamic, and competitive environment the firm operates in.
• Provides the management and forecasting theory and tools that students and practitioners will need for effective strategic planning.
• Integrates strategic planning tools in many segments of the hospitality and tourism industry: cruise ships, hotels, restaurants, airlines, casinos, sports, and more!

Strategic Management for Hospitality & Travel adopts the Co-Alignment Model as a framework for discussing strategic management for hospitality and travel businesses. This model allows students to forecast trends and gain an advantage over the competition – which is particularly necessary in the complex, fast-changing hospitality and travel space. This four-step process includes: Step 1 – Environmental Scanning Step 2 – Strategy Setting Step 3 – Structure Step 4 – Strategy Financials Students reading this text will gain both theoretical understanding of the Co-Alignment Model and valuable practice in each of its component processes. These lessons, unique to this book, will serve them throughout long, successful careers in hospitality and travel management.

Former Ph.D. Graduates from Virginia Tech and mentored by Dr. Mike Olsen and have had a sizable impact on Hospitality education include:

Dr. Chekitan Dev, distinguished professor the Cornell Hotel School, to Dr. Ines Blal, EHL Lausanne, the former Executive Dean, and Dr. Kaye Chon, Dean of Hong Kong Polytechnic University covering the global reach of hospitality education and our students who are the future of our hospitality industry

The University of Delaware Micheal Olsen Research Award

The upcoming Strategic Management book above is dedicated to Dr. Michael Olsen a university leader in Hospitality research and education.

In addition, The Prestigious Michael D. Olsen Research Award is presented at the annual Graduate Research Conference each January and is named after Dr. Olsen. The background for the Olsen Award follows.

The History of the University of Delaware Michael D. Olsen Research Achievement Award

What follows below, is written by Northern Arizona University Professor Frederick DeMicco, Ph.D., Professor, and the former Executive Director of the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management in the W.A. Franke College of Business and Visiting Professor the University of South Florida provides a historical perspective for the annual Olsen Research Award.

Since the early 2000’s, the prestigious Michael D. Olsen Research Achievement Award has been presented at the annual Graduate Conference each January.

Many people ask why the University of Delaware gives the award when Dr. Olsen spent most of his career at Virginia Tech?

The following presents the best recollection of the history for the award, and it is written by former Department Chair and currently Aramark Chair Emeritus of HRIM Dr. Fred DeMicco. There are several significant and historical threads connecting Dr. Michael Olsen to the University of Delaware.

The first very important thread is Dr. Olsen was consulted by Professor Paul Wise, the Founding Chair of UD Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management Department (HRIM), to provide advice and counsel to start a new HRIM program at Delaware. Dr. Olsen imparted his thoughts and experiences on curriculum development, industry connections, advisory board, and the ideas for a proposal to become a new program of HRIM at the University of Delaware.

Another important thread was the former Provost at Virginia Tech, Dr. David Roselle, was the President of the University of Delaware and Dr. Roselle knew Dr. Olsen very well when he started the Virginia Tech Hospitality program. In fact, Dr. Francis Kwansa and Dr. DeMicco were completing their PhD’s at Virginia Tech at the time and knew Provost Roselle. Before Professor Wise’s retirement, he created the first-ever Master of Science degree in Hospitality Information Management with Dr. Kwansa as the founding director of graduate studies. After Professor Wise retired President Roselle hired Dr. DeMicco to become the second Chair of HRIM Department at UD. The faculty believed it would be significant for the new Master of Science brand to present an annual research award. At this point, Dr. DeMicco consulted with the HRIM faculty, the Olsen PhD alumni (such as Dr. Francis Kwansa, Dr. Cheki Dev and others) and UD President David Roselle, about naming this prestigious award the University of Delaware Michael D. Olsen Research Achievement Award. President Roselle gave us the green light to proceed, and our HRIM faculty were very supportive to honor Dr. Olsen and present this prestigious research award in his name. Dr. DeMicco then contacted Dr. Olsen and presented the idea of an award in his name and honor from the University of Delaware. Dr. Olsen visited the University of Delaware, and we drafted the criteria for this research award. While at Delaware, Dr. Olsen met with Delaware faculty and students, and with UD President David Roselle. The Michael D. Olsen Research Achievement Award was founded. Today, this prestigious research award is presented annually in January at the Graduate Conference during the main formal dinner of the conference.

The University of Delaware Michael D. Olsen Research Achievement Award, honors Dr. Olsen of Virginia Tech for his contribution to the body of knowledge in hospitality management and for his mentoring of graduate students at Virginia Tech and around the world. The award is endowed by the University of Delaware’s Hospitality and Sport Business Management Department, graduates and friends of Dr. Michael Olsen. Nomination criteria of scholars includes someone who has made a long-term contribution to:

• research and scholarship in hospitality and tourism.
• graduate education and mentoring of graduate students.
• the hospitality and tourism academy, including serving on editorial review boards, developing international symposia and conferences

In the past Dr. Olsen was invited to speak at the annual Graduate Conference about the significance of hospitality research and provide pearls of wisdom to hundreds of graduate students and their faculty mentors in attendance. He will also assist the Department Chair of UD’s HRIM in presenting the award. Dr. Olsen was an important ally and helped the University of Delaware become an innovator in research, teaching, and scholarship. Dr. Olsen is no longer with us, but his legacy of the Olsen Research Award has lived on for over twenty years now. The dozens of PhD students who studied under Dr. Olsen are all very grateful for his guidance and mentorship. They refer to themselves as the Olsenites. In fact, the Olsenites and the past Olsen Award winners have a role in nominating and voting for each year’s recipient. The first recipient of the University of Delaware Michael D. Olsen Research Achievement Award was Dr. Kaye Chon (please see the press release below) in January 2002.

The University of Delaware is proud to be the sponsor and home of this important research award, and it honors the legacy of Dr. Michael D. Olsen, a friend and mentor to many in the Hospitality and Tourism Management Academy.

*Dr. Kaye Chon, Chair Professor and Head of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University was the first recipient of The University of Delaware Michael D. Olsen Research Achievement Award.