The International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) recently held its 66th Annual Summer Conference, where hospitality educators from around the world had an opportunity to network, discuss new trends and research, and recognize colleagues for exceptional teaching efforts. Among those recognized at the 2012 Annual Conference was Dr. Po-Ju Chen, associate professor at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida.
Dr. Chen received the 2012 John Wiley & Sons Award for Innovation in Teaching. The Award recognizes an ICHRIE member for his or her implementation of innovative, creative, and effective teaching techniques in hospitality education at the high school, diploma, college and university level.
The award was given to Dr. Chen for her innovative teaching methods, which include incorporating interactive learning, leadership exercises, role playing and media enhancement.
“I’m very thankful and honored to have been given this prestigious award,” said Dr. Chen. “It is a remarkable feeling to be recognized as an innovator, and I’m grateful to all those who have helped me become the educator that I am today.”
Past award winners include: Audrey McCool, Sandra Kapoor, Lynn Huffman, Janice Pratt, Joseph LaLopa, Lori Sipe, Cynthia Deale, Ravi Pandit, Rai Shacklock, Cihan Cobanoglu, Linda Shea, Godwin-Charles Ogbeide, as well as fellow UCF Rosen College faculty members Dr. H.G. Parsa and Dr. Denver Severt.
In addition to teaching, Chen is actively involved in community outreach, both nationally and internationally, and she served as the 2010 president of the Florida/Caribbean CHRIE Chapter. Dr. Chen has also received several other awards for teaching and research.
The International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education 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. In recent years, ICHRIE’s focus has expanded and its mission statement has evolved, making it a marketplace for facilitating exchanges of information, ideas, research, products and services related to education, training and resource development for the hospitality and tourism industry.