2006

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EAST CENTRAL COMMUNilY COllEGE Decatur was the first student to sign up for East Central Commumty College's new Hotel and ....-----... ogy Program. At right is program mstructor Lisa O'Neill. nique opportunity ECCC Hotel Restaurant program offers career choices SJ t nal to the Rrcor d

sites for the course, O'Neill says that customer service is key to this industry and that people skills are a necessity. But she also said that students can learn almost everv– thing the~ 'll need to knm'> for the

For more info • Those interested in the Hotel and Restaurant Management Technology Program can contact o·Nelll at 601- 650-1234 ext. 3509 Prospective st -

Victoria Loper of Decatur, received an associate degree in art last spring at East Central Commu– nity College. She aspired to have a career in graphic design. but soon

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aec:1ae'O t and design with tlus new degree m order to one day design upscale hotels and restaurants. "I knew that I didn't want to sit in front of a computer all day." Loper said. "So when one of my instruc– tors told me about the Hotel and Restaurant Program, I decided I would give it a try. I plan to later complete my degree in Interior Design and use my skills to design e hotels and restaurants." w-se instructor Lisa O'Neill ere nre endless opportunities pita! ity industry for those ---,.--·-o tlleir degrees and she is

this clas~ and m tlu area 0 said. ''With classes located at the Choctaw Hospitality Institute (CHI) and near the Pearl Riv 'r Resort. the opportunities are end– less. There aren't that many 500- plus room hotels in this area. To be able to see an operation of that magnitude compared with smaller operations. to compare the similar– ities and differences. j s an amazing opportunity. To see the different restaurants available at the resort and in Philadelphia is wondmful. And there aren't many attractions like Geyser Falls in the area. 11 of

k mto tlle same thmg everyda~. And with this type job. you have no idea what) ou're going to walk into. ''You need to like all kinds of peo- ple. In this job. we deal with cus– tomers, employees, vendors and others and you can't have a closed - mind to any type person." Classes offered during the first - semester include Sanitation and Safety, Culinary Principles (a basics of cooking class), Introduc· tion to Hospitality Management. and Hospitality Managemen1. Facilities and Design, which instructs students in the. proper