The Student and Industry Resource Center (SIRC) in The School of Hospitality Business serves as the liaison between employers and hospitality business students. We engage with employers across the entire hospitality industry. We coordinate CAREER EXPO and provide career advising to students. Students in The School also complete their two required internships under SIRC’s guidance and supervision. For all hospitality industry jobs and internships, start at SIRC!
A core part of the Hospitality Business degree requirements is the internship component. Students are required to complete two internships: a Level 1 internship and a Level 2 internship. They must be in the hospitality industry. Both internships require working a minimum of 400 hours during a 10-week period with one company. Internships can be completed full time during the summer or part time during the school year. If a student works part time, there is no time limit for completing 400 hours.
Internships must be documented and approved prior to beginning by using the SIRC web application and approval process. At the end of the internship, both student and employer must also complete evaluations through the SIRC web evaluation process. All three forms – approved application and both evaluations – must be completed by the end of the internship, or the internship will not be counted as complete. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the employer completes the final evaluation and submits it to SIRC.
SIRC will help you with your:
CAREER EXPO is The School’s longstanding annual hospitality industry career event. Each year, students in The School select the “Industry Partner of the Year,” and an executive from that company presents a keynote address — a highlight of CAREER EXPO. The career fair takes place in the evening, when 80 of the nation’s leading hospitality companies recruit 700+ talented students for internships and permanent positions and sign them up for interviews, which are held the following day.
2022/2023 Industry Partner of the Year
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Authella Collins Hawks is the director of the Student and Industry Resource Center (SIRC) for The School of Hospitality Business. In this role, she provides leadership for the placement of all hospitality business students in internships and full-time positions upon graduation from The School. She also represents The School in developing and maintaining relationships with the industry, networking with hospitality business alumni, and participating in industry functions and special events.
The Spartan Sponsors Mentor Program pairs students and alumni with similar career interests with each other, both on campus at the annual Homecoming Spartan Sponsors Mentor Program meeting and throughout the year with phone calls and email. The connections made are a win-win, broadening the student’s perspectives and allowing practicing professionals to share insights and “give back” in a way that can help a young person start down a path to success.