We’ve just received word that the Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) undergraduate program has earned accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA). Purdue’s first-ranked HTM program is one of only 32 in the nation that is ACPHA accredited.

This is a tremendous achievement and the result of much hard work by our HTM faculty and staff. The accreditation process requires three major efforts — a programmatic self-analysis, an evaluation by professional colleagues, and a review and decision by the accreditation commission. The accreditation covers the period from summer 2005 through winter 2012.

Hail Purdue!
Dennis Savaiano
Dean

For more information on the accreditation process, visit the ACPHA Web site.

With the current spotlight on improving the health of Hoosiers at the state level through the governor’s INShape Indiana initiative, this year’s Felker Series on April 7 focuses on diet and nutrition. Speakers will discuss the new dietary guidelines and how to eat for longer life. Visit the Felker Series Web page.

Through the Avanelle Kirksey Lecture Series, the Department of Foods and Nutrition presents “Childhood Malnutrition Kills: Scientific Demonstration, Persuasion, and Evolution of Policy” by Jean-Pierre Habicht, professor of epidemiology at Cornell University. The lecture is Friday, April 21 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Visit the Kirksey Lecture Series Web page.

If you need timely, relevant information on children and families from a state and/or national perspective, the Center for Families can help. A new section on the center’s Web site provides a quick reference to general demographic information on families, health and wellness, education, economic issues, and other factors that influence family well-being. Visit the “Family Data and Statistics” section of the center’s Web site.

The Home and Family Conference, sponsored by CFS Extension and the Indiana Extension Homemakers Association, will be held June 14–16 on the West Lafayette campus. Keynote speaker for the event is Anne Audain, internationally renowned professional athlete, motivational speaker, and businesswoman. A variety of workshops and seminars will be available to participants throughout the three-day conference. Visit the CFS Extension Web site to download a conference brochure.

Xinran Lehto, assistant professor, Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, was named a 2005–06 Hancook Faculty Fellow in the Center for Families. Hancook Faculty Fellows focus on maximizing the health, well-being, and development of adults as individuals, parents, and partners. Lehto is currently investigating how the therapeutic effect of vacations may potentially play a strategic role in the combat against work stress.

Sharon DeVaney, professor, Department of Consumer Sciences and Retailing, was named a fellow of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education at the association’s annual conference in Indianapolis on February 17. Fellow status is an honor conferred in recognition of outstanding leadership in gerontology/geriatrics education by established scholars and educators. DeVaney has published over 50 refereed articles and has authored five Web sites on retirement and estate planning.

Volker Thomas, associate professor, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, was nominated by the College of Consumer and Family Sciences for Purdue University’s Outstanding Graduate Mentor 2006 award. He has supervised 15 completed doctoral dissertations and seven master’s theses. Two of his doctoral advisees have received the highly competitive national Dissertation Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Three of his advisees have won the outstanding master’s student or doctoral student awards in CFS. No other professor in the college has had more students win these awards.

March 21: Central Indiana Boiler Mixer
April 1: Spring Fashion Show
April 1: HTM Black Tie Dinner
April 7: Felker Series
April 7: CFS Awards Dinner
April 8–9: Spring Fest
April 8–10: Gala Weekend
April 21: Kirksey Lecture Series
May 13: CFS Spring Commencement

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