Nolan School of Hotel Administration

Overview

The Nolan School of Hotel Administration offers a combination of inspired classroom teaching and innovative practical experiences. As the only Ivy League business-management program to focus on hospitality, we actively prepare students to be leaders in a dynamic global industry.

The Nolan School of Hotel Administration is one of the three collaborative schools that comprise the SC Johnson College of Business within Cornell University, giving it the ability to adjust its curriculum and services to keep pace with changes in the hospitality industry. Our students reap the benefits of this flexible, intellectually-rich, and creative environment.

Website: sha.cornell.edu

General Information

Administration

  • Kate Walsh, Dean and E. M. Statler Professor
  • F. Asís Martinez-Jerez, Senior Director of Programs
  • Christopher Anderson, Director of the EMMH Program
  • Christopher Gaulke, Director of Undergraduate Studies
  • Peng Liu, Director of the M² Cornell-Peking University Dual Degree Program
  • Alexei Tchistyi, Director of Graduate Studies-MMH
  • Dina Kristof, Director of Student Services
  • Victor Younger, Director of Diversity and Inclusion
  • Erin Fitzgerald, Registrar
  • Linda Canina, Academic Director of Center for Hospitality Research and Academic Director of the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship
  • Jeanne Varney, Academic Director of Center for Real Estate Finance
  • David Sherwyn, Academic Director of the Cornell Center for Innovative Hospitality Labor & Employment Relations (CIHLER)

Admissions Requirements

At the Nolan School of Hotel Administration, the undergraduate admissions procedures and requirements differ slightly by the type of student. First-year applicants should have taken the following courses in secondary school before applying: 4 units of English, 4 units of mathematics (including precalculus), 2 units of science (including chemistry), and 3 years or completion of the third level of a single foreign language for native English speakers. Additional units of higher-level math, particularly calculus, are recommended but not required. Applicants do not need to submit SAT/ACT scores with their application as the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business is score-free through 2024.

Additional information regarding the admissions process and requirements for transfers from other Cornell schools, transfers from colleges and universities outside Cornell, international students, and military veteran applicants is available on the undergraduate admissions webpage. Information regarding the admissions requirements for graduate programs can be found on the Master of Management in Hospitality (MMH), the Executive Master of Management in Hospitality (EMMH), and the M² Cornell-Peking University Dual Degree Program webpages.

Course Schedule Information

For up-to-date information about course scheduling, contact the Office of Student Services, 180 Statler Hall, (607) 255-9393.

Facilities

Statler Hall. Statler Hall has been the home to the Nolan School of Hotel Administration since 1950 and is uniquely designed to meet the traditional and experiential learning needs of faculty and students. The building includes: the 700 seat Alice Statler Auditorium, state-of-the-art classrooms, 100 seat Binenkorb computer center which houses the Chartres Lodging Group Capital Markets Lab, food and beverage management labs, and our Marriott Student Learning Center which houses the Nestlé Library. Additionally, Statler Hall is home to the Baker Program in Real Estate, the Center for Real Estate Finance, the Center for Hospitality Research, and the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute of Hospitality Entrepreneurship.

The Nolan School of Hotel Administration's Nestlé Library. The Nestlé Library resides within the Marriott Student Learning Center, which opened in August, 2012. As one of the finest libraries in the hospitality management field, the Nestlé Library is noted for its excellent collection, knowledgeable staff and service to alumni, industry practitioners, other hospitality schools and trade associations, as well as the students and faculty of the Nolan School of Hotel Administration. The library's collection contains approximately 37,000 books and more than 500 journal, magazine, newsletter, and newspaper subscriptions. Materials on lodging, foodservice, travel and tourism, real estate, and general hospitality business topics comprise the core of the collection. Among the library's special features are numerous electronic information resources, including Business Source Complete, Hotel Horizons, Technomic, Mintel Marketing Intelligence, and Hospitality and Tourism Complete, a unique index of hospitality articles. Organized shortly after the founding of the program in hospitality management at Cornell University in 1922, the Nestlé Library contributes to the creation and dissemination of knowledge in the hospitality industry by connecting faculty members, students, and industry executives with hospitality industry information resources. The library's talented staff is dedicated to serving the educational interests of the students and the research and teaching interests of the school's faculty.

Statler Hotel and J. Willard Marriott Executive Education Center. The Statler Hotel is a 153 room Four Diamond Hotel connected to Statler Hall.  The hotel was designed to provide a distinctive lodging and executive education experience in the center of the Cornell campus, while simultaneously providing students of the School of Hotel Administration with real world industry and management experiences. During the academic year over 200 students work in front line and supervisory positions under the guidance of seasoned hospitality professionals.

Special Academic Opportunities

Study Abroad

All students planning to study abroad must apply through the Office of Global Learning; please see the description in the introductory section of this catalog or view their website.

The Nolan School of Hotel Administration represents the international aspects of the hospitality industry in many ways—from the large number of international students in its program to career opportunities throughout the world. To prepare for the global nature of the industry, students are encouraged to consider studying abroad in either the fall or spring semesters of their junior year (or, in some cases, both). While abroad, students have the opportunity to learn about other cultures, to become more proficient in a second (or perhaps third) language and, in those programs where internships are offered, to work in an international environment.

Students should start the investigation process early, including a consultation with the Nolan School study abroad advisor, 180 Statler Hall, as well as with the Education Abroad advisors in the Office of Global Learning, B50 Caldwell Hall. Requirements for college approval include completion of all 1000-level and 2000-level HADM core courses, completion of the University swim test and Physical Education requirements, a GPA of 3.0 or higher, good academic standing, registered full-time student status, and not being in one’s final semester. Credits earned abroad are considered transfer credits, and, as such, they count toward the maximum of 60 transfer credits allowed. A maximum of 15 credits may be transferred from study abroad programs, and students should plan on taking no less than 15 credits while abroad. Courses typically transfer toward Distribution Elective or Free Elective degree requirements. Credit for study abroad programs will be awarded only after successful completion (marks equivalent to a Cornell grade of C or higher) of the semester abroad and receipt of the official transcript by the colleg