Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2005

Contact: Marisa Ramirez
713.743.8152 (office)
713.204.9798 (cell)
mrcannon@uh.edu

(HOUSTON, March 1, 2005)— The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo may boast of broncos and bulls, but the exclusive dining room, The Boardroom, will soon be filled with cougars. Students from the University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management will be staffing the private dining room for the VIPs who visit the Rodeo.

“This is a very prestigious job for students,” said Laura Sutherland, director of executive education. “It’s also a tremendous opportunity for them to work in this environment.”

Rodeo officials will hire more than 30 students to set up, clean up and serve as wait staff for the breakfast, lunch, dinner and after-dinner crowd at The Boardroom—a plum assignment for students eager to enter the hospitality industry. Students will earn an hourly wage. In addition, Rodeo officials will donate funds to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Endowment at UH that provides scholarships for students entering the college.

Dignitaries from the city, county and the Rodeo will be among the restaurant’s clientele, along with celebrity performers and visitors. This is the third year that the College has partnered with the Rodeo to provide the service to patrons and students.

“Having the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on your résumé gets people’s attention,” said Sutherland. “People know what a huge event it is and to work in a private dining room is an elite assignment.”

Students from the College of Hotel and Restaurant Management are exposed to many experiences that provide first hand knowledge about the hospitality industry. Sutherland says because the restaurant only operates during the 20 days of the rodeo, students learn how to set up a restaurant very quickly. “There’s no ‘soft opening’ or warm up time,” said Sutherland. “The restaurant is open for high-volume, full menu service and it is full steam ahead.”

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo runs from March 1 – 20 at Reliant Park.

For more information on the UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, please visit http://www.hrm.uh.edu/

About the University of Houston

The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.