Enhancing the academic experience

Dr. Karima Lanfranco, assistant professor at Lynn, is ready to recruit and educate the next generation of hospitality leaders: "Typically, event management students want to be wedding planners and hospitality students aspire to be managers at a hotel. And while there's nothing wrong with that, sometimes that’s all they know. We're trying to garner more awareness and educate students on what this program really is. There’s so much more to hospitality than hotels and weddings …"

Lanfranco, who also serves as the academic program coordinator for hospitality management in the College of Business and Management, arrived at Lynn in 2021 with a vision to expand students' minds.

"Are we showing students the wide array of what hospitality entails?" asked Lanfranco. "The hospitality industry offers a myriad of segments—lodging, attractions, travel, events, tourism, and food and beverage. We want to show students everything that's available to them and utilize the community that we thrive in to enhance their academic experience."

Lanfranco comes to campus equipped with over a decade of experience and eager to pass down her knowledge. She earned a bachelor's in business administration from the University of Miami, a double master's in business administration and hotel administration from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, and a Ph.D. in hospitality management from the University of Central Florida. Lanfranco worked at full-service properties across the U.S., including Hyatt Hotels, Four Seasons, Kessler Collection, and Hilton Hotels and Resorts.

Creating opportunities for student development is a staple in the College of Business and Management as evidenced by endeavors like the C-Suite Speaker Series and Be Your Own Boss (BYOB) conference that bring industry leaders to campus.

An opportunity that existed in the past and disappeared over time due to natural student turnover was a student-run hospitality club. Within Lanfranco's first semester at Lynn, she reinstated the club as its faculty advisor. Today, the group meets once a month and visits hotels, restaurants and convention centers in the tri-county area.

The club modestly began with seven students … This year it soared to approximately 65 members.

"It's a mutually beneficial experience, especially with all the labor shortages in hospitality," said Lanfranco. "The organizations meet students who are interested in working with them. Meanwhile, the students grow by seeing different spaces, networking with industry professionals and handing out their resumes. It allows our students to leverage their education as a differentiator."

One of these organizations is the award-winning Boca West Country Club, serving the Boca Raton community with luxury services that include championship golf courses, on-site restaurants, multipurpose fitness centers, function space and other amenities.