University of Houston leaders, industry friends and supporters of the College were on hand last month for the grand opening of the beautiful new Conrad N. Hilton College–San Antonio campus in historic Sunset Station. A public celebration, in partnership with the CVB of San Antonio, was held on January 21, followed by a private reception on January 28. Pictured here are UH Chancellor and President Renu Khator, Hilton College Dean Dennis Reynolds and Dr. Adena Williams Loston, president of St. Philip’s College. The program, which launched in fall 2014 and is the city’s only provider of a bachelor-level hospitality education, moved into the renovated Mission Hotel building in Sunset Station in June 2015. Students transfer to the Conrad N. Hilton College–San Antonio from other accredited two- and four-year programs to complete the upper-division requirements for a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Houston. “The name Hilton is synonymous with first-class hospitality, just like San Antonio,” said Reynolds. “We are pleased to bring this business-minded program to San Antonio—the Tourism Capital of Texas—and to its future industry professionals.” Special thanks to our sponsors—the RK Group, Alamo Beer Company, Zachry Hospitality, Ben E. Keith Co. and Sunset Station—who helped to underwrite these events. For more information on the Conrad N. Hilton College–San Antonio, visit www.sa.uh.edu. (Photo: Michael Scott)

There’s a new face in Barron's this semester—Lecturer Reba Haskell has joined the Hilton College faculty to teach Foods 2 and Advanced Food & Beverage Management in the Barron’s Restaurant lab. Reba brings 20 years of experience with Pappas Restaurants to the classroom. She started with the company as a hostess when she was a teenager and never left, working through school and after graduation from Concordia University as a floor manager, kitchen manager and hands on with management development at multiple Pappas’ concepts. Most recently, she spent eight years as an event planner/catering manager with Pappas’ full-service catering division, serving everyone from Harris and Chris Pappas to President George H. W. Bush. A wife and mother of two, Reba is excited about her new career venture and is looking forward to sharing her industry expertise with our aspiring restaurateurs. Welcome to the College, Reba! (Photo: Taylor Wiley)

Congrats are in order for two members of our Hilton College faculty. Assistant Professors Rachel Han (left) and Sujata Sirsat (right) recently received New Faculty Research Grants from the University of Houston worth nearly $12,000. Each year, new faculty across UH apply for these highly sought-after grants by giving a synopsis of their research and submitting a budget proposal to finance that research. The University then reviews the applications and awards grants to a select few professors. Han will be researching the effect of rate parity on hotel evaluations. Sirsat will focus on improving leafy greens safety by incorporating biochemical and molecular methods to eliminate harmful bacteria. Kudos to both of these outstanding researchers—way to represent the HC! (Photo: Taylor Wiley)