Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society Honors Joe McCann

Joe McCann Awarded the Alumnus of the Year

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. October 14, 2008

NOVEMBER 20, 2006. Joe McCann, President of Optimum Hotel Brokerage has been awarded the prestigious Alumnus of the Year Award by the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society. The award was presented by David Scypinski, Vice President of Starwood Hotels and Resorts and current president of the Society, and officiated by Dr. Hubert B. Van Hoof, Director of the Pennsylvania State University's School of Hospitality Management. More than 300 guests attended the annual Alumnus of the Year awards reception held in the Empire Room of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

The award was given in recognition of Mr. McCann's "giving of time and resources in endless support of the School of Hospitality Management". Mr. McCann graduated from Penn State's well respected hotel management program in 1978 and is a lifetime member of the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society. "I'm honored to receive this recognition by the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society, and especially proud to be an alumnus of Penn State's School of Hospitality Management, the best hospitality management program in the country."

The Penn State School of Hospitality Management is home to the fourth oldest hotel, restaurant and institutional management program in the United States. From its humble beginnings in 1937, the program has grown to the point where it is now recognized as one of the most respected and distinguished hospitality management programs in the nation. By combining a broad educational foundation with specific courses designed to build strong leadership, business and communication skills - and by requiring undergraduate students to accumulate 1,000 hours of "real-world" experience in order to graduate - students gain the theoretical, managerial, quantitative, organizational and technical skills they need to become the next generation of leaders in the hospitality industry. The students' relationships with faculty (many who have extensive experience in and conduct research for the industry) and alumni (including many who are top executives in their chosen professions) only serve to bolster this learning experience. Penn State's program currently enrolls more than 800 students.

The Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society (PSHRS) has been active in the life of the University since its founding in 1948. Since that time, the society has strived to enhance the reputation of the Hospitality Management program at Penn State by strengthening the organizations links to the hospitality profession. Today, PSHRS is an affiliate program group (APG) of the Penn State Alumni Association and the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society.

Joe McCann, is a twenty-eight year hotel industry veteran who has held senior management positions with Hilton and Marriott at their largest and most successful corporate and franchised properties. In addition to his Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from the Pennsylvania State University, he has earned a Master of Hospitality Management degree (with concentration in Hotel Finance) from the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. He has also completed advanced Finance, Real Estate Finance, Hotel Valuation, and New Venture Development courses offered by the University of Connecticut, the University of Texas, Cornell University, and the University of Houston's Melcher Graduate School of Business. He has been an active broker and consultant in the hospitality industry, with assignments ranging from hotel feasibility projects to multi-unit restaurant development.

Optimum Hotel Brokerage has recently endowed a Trustee Scholarship at the Pennsylvania State University. The scholarship provides financial assistance to four students demonstrating financial need at Penn State's School of Hospitality Management.