The International Drive Resort Area Chamber of Commerce on May 9 honored the 20th anniversary of the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, celebrated founders Harris Rosen and Dr. Abraham Pizam and accepted a proclamation from Orange County declaring May 9, 2024, “UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management Day” in Orange County.

Speakers at the luncheon in Orlando described the college’s growth from a small program in the University of Central Florida’s College of Business into what they called a national leader in hospitality education. Harris Rosen and Dr. Abraham Pizam were presented with the iDrive Innovator Award; Ray Walls, deputy director of the Orange County Convention Center, read a proclamation from Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings on the mayor’s behalf.

Why it matters: Rosen College sits adjacent to the International Drive tourism corridor and — speakers said — supplies thousands of interns and employees to Central Florida’s hospitality and attractions industries. Its leaders and industry partners told attendees the college has become a major workforce pipeline for the region’s tourism economy.

UCF President Alexander Cartwright called the college “a crown jewel of UCF,” praising its industry partnerships and graduate outcomes. “I truly look forward to what the next 20 years hold for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management,” Cartwright said during the luncheon.

Dr. Abraham Pizam, who led early efforts to establish hospitality education at UCF, described the college’s origin as a response to what he called the region’s “human factor” need — training managers and staff to operate the area’s hotels, resorts and attractions. “That factor was a human factor,” Pizam said, recounting the program’s early struggles to gain academic legitimacy and arguing those efforts were essential to Orlando’s development as a tourism hub.

Harris Rosen recounted donating land and money to establish a dedicated campus next to Rosen Shingle Creek, saying the gift transformed the program and the community. Speakers at the event said Rosen provided an initial major donation of $18,000,000 in money and land that jump-started construction of the Rosen College campus.

Interim Dean Cynthia Mejia (identified at the event as the Rosen College interim dean) highlighted longstanding industry ties and hands-on learning opportunities. She noted the college’s international faculty and internship programs that, speakers said, place students in attractions and hospitality organizations across the globe.

Students and alumni told the audience the college’s career fairs and internship connections are central to career placement. Valerie Langdorf, a Rosen alumna and recruiter for SeaWorld Orlando, said she found her first human resources internship while a student and later returned to recruit at Rosen career events.

Event organizers and speakers provided several figures about the college and the tourism economy that were reported from the podium: more than 15,000 degrees awarded since the Rosen College campus opened in 2004; growth from under 100 students at the program’s start to more than 3,000 students today; and statements that Rosen students complete more than 1,000 internships each semester. Speakers also described tourism as a major local employer and economic driver; one speaker said the hospitality industry accounts for roughly 37% of Central Florida’s workforce and cited about 450,000 direct and indirect tourism jobs in the region. These numbers were presented by speakers at the luncheon and are attributed in this report to those speakers.

Ray Walls read the mayoral proclamation drafted by Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings. The proclamation, as read at the luncheon, recites the Rosen College’s founding by an $18,000,000 donation from Harris Rosen, calls the campus a “living laboratory” in Orlando’s tourism corridor and formally designates May 9, 2024, as UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management Day in Orange County.

The luncheon was hosted by the I-Drive Chamber and included remarks from UCF officials, industry partners and students. Jason Henry, district director for U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, recorded a congratulatory message on the congressman’s behalf; Henry also announced a public town hall the following day hosted by the congressman and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.

The program included a presentation of awards to Rosen and Pizam and remarks from alumni and industry representatives about the college’s role in workforce development and the region’s tourism economy. Organizers closed the event by thanking Rosen Shingle Creek Resort and the Rosen College staff and students who helped stage the program.

No formal legislative or permitting actions were taken at the luncheon. The mayoral proclamation was read into the record at the event but was presented on the mayor’s behalf rather than being issued live from the mayor’s office.

Speakers quoted in this report spoke at the luncheon and are identified by name and role; other figures and historical details in this article reflect statements made from the podium and are attributed to speakers in the text.