Niagara University professor becomes 10th recipient of 'Champion of Education' award

Dr. William D. Frye will soon join an exclusive list of hospitality and tourism educators that includes Michael E. Hurst, J.W. Marriott Jr., Anthony Marshall and only six others.

On Aug. 3, Frye, an associate professor of hospitality and tourism management at Niagara University, will become the 10th person to receive the Raphael Kavanaugh Champion of Education Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE) since the award's inception in 1991.

This unique award is given by the I-CHRIE board of directors - upon special occasion - to honor a corporation, organization or individual who has made a longstanding commitment to, or shown a pattern of support for, special initiatives that advance the mission of I-CHRIE. The award is given rarely, as evidenced by the brief list of past winners, which includes Hurst, Marriott Jr., Marshall, Kavanaugh, Gilles Honegger, William P. Fisher, E. Ray Swan, Gilbert Valterio, Hank Cockerill and, soon, Frye.

"We are extremely proud of Bill and commend him for receiving this very special recognition," commented Dr. Gary Praetzel, dean of NU's College of Hospitality and Tourism Management. "While we often talk about our propensity to place students in environments where they can learn on the job, these types of awards also illustrate the outstanding quality of educators that we have in our classrooms."

A doctoral graduate from the School of Hospitality Management at The Pennsylvania State University, Frye teaches classes in basic and advanced hotel operations and management, hospitality and tourism law, and club management at Niagara University, and is the professor in charge of several of NU's hospitality and tourism internship and cooperative education programs.

Frye, who possesses more than 25 years management experience, is also the executive editor of The Rooms Chronicle and the editor of the Electronic Journal of Hospitality Legal, Safety and Security Research. In 2008, he co-authored the best selling textbook, Managing Housekeeping Operations, published by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute.

Founded in 1946, I-CHRIE is the global advocate of hospitality and tourism education for schools, colleges and universities offering programs in hotel and restaurant management, foodservice management and culinary arts.

For information on NU's College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, call 716-286-8279 or visithttp://www.niagara.edu/hospitality.