UA hospitality chair holder to focus on culinary tourism
Aug. 29, 2007Contact Information:
479-575-4307 / rharring@uark.edu
By Howell Medders, Division of Agriculture Communications
479-575-5647 / hmedders@uark.edu
CULINARY TOURISM -- Dr. Robert Harrington, holder of the endowed chair in hospitality at the University of Arkansas, teaches in the Inn at Carnall Hall at the University of Arkansas. He hopes to help develop culinary tourism in Arkansas.
HOSPITALITY CHAIR -- Dr. Robert Harrington, holder of the endowed chair in hospitality at the University of Arkansas, visits with hospitality and restaurant managment students, from left, Libby Stanley, Paige Buchanan and Chris Cooper.Harrington said one of his goals is to help create culinary tourism opportunities in Arkansas. He said he has learned from professional experience and research that a region's food and culinary culture is often waiting to be discovered and promoted.
"What is there in the food culture, agriculture and other parts of the culture of Arkansas that we can work with to create culinary tourism opportunities in our state and communities? That's a question we will be working to answer," Harrington said.
Investment earnings from a $1.5 million endowment from the Walton Family Foundation will help support Harrington's teaching, research and service programs in restaurant and hospitality management. He will coordinate the program, which also includes three other faculty members, in the School of Human Environmental Sciences. The school is part of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
Hospitality and restaurant management is a concentration within the foods, nutrition and hospitality major. Student enrollment in the major has increased dramatically since the 2003 opening of The Inn at Carnall Hall and Ella's Restaurant. The campus hotel and restaurant furnish offices and a classroom for the program, and staff members participate in classes and projects.
"We will work with the industry, state agencies and faculty in other departments to develop a quality program to serve our students, the public and the industry," Harrington said. "I believe we have the pieces in place for a nationally recognized program." He and three other faculty members have a range of expertise in various facets of hospitality, tourism and food service.
Bumpers College Dean Greg Weidemann said, "Dr. Harrington has a multi-faceted background as an executive chef and as a teacher, scholar and consultant. I believe he and the other faculty members can develop a program that will be a tremendous asset to the state and our communities as well as to our students."
The most recent of two reference books by Harrington, "Food and Wine Pairing: A Sensory Experience," to be published in 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, suggests one area that the author said might have potential for further development of culinary tourism in Arkansas.
The 2007 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research Article of the Year Award, for "Strategy for Implementation Success: The Moderating Effects of Size and Environment Complexity and the Mediating Effects of Involvement," was presented to Harrington in July.
Harrington comes to Arkansas from the University of Guelph in Ontario, where he was associate professor of hospitality and tourism management in the College of Management and Economics. He also coordinated the master of business administration (MBA) degree program.
Previous positions include dean and professor of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nichols State University in Thibodaux, La., and lecturer in the School of Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University in Pullman.
Before enrolling in college, Harrington spent 18 years in the restaurant and hospitality industry, beginning as partner and operator of Casey's Dairy Deli & Sunrise Dairy in Washington. He was executive chef at three hotels, including the Crowne Plaza in Memphis, and executive sous chef with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company in New Orleans.
Harrington has a bachelor of business administration degree from Boise State University in Idaho and master's and Ph.D. degrees in business administration from Washington State University.