Office Hours I am Dr. Rich Patterson, currently an Associate Professor in the Hospitality Management and Dietetics program at WKU. I am originally from Long Island, New York [pronounced Noo Yawk]. I went to High School in New Jersey [pronounced Noo Joisey] then went to college at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA [Philly] where I studied Hotel and Restaurant Administration and Dietetics. After graduation, I received a direct commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Medical Specialist Corps and completed a dietetic internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and also a masters degree in Institutional Administration from the University of Maryland. Several years after that, I attended George Washington University, Washington, DC to obtain my doctorate in Human Resource Development with a support field in Management Science. Over the years, I have lived in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina, Texas, and Germany -- the last four, thanks to the Army. Before coming to Western, I taught graduate level courses at the University of Maryland and Southwest Texas State University.My background is mostly in food service -- having over 25 years of experience in the food industry. However, I have also worked in hotels although that was many years ago. I find the tourism industry fascinating especially determining how to market a destination and what motivates people to travel to a certain venue. Also, I really enjoy traveling, learning about other cultures, and meeting people with different customs. My focus in the Tourism industry is the meeting and convention management sector where I have worked extensively in the past.
I am married and have one daughter, who is majoring in English at Kenyon College in Ohio but she will study abroad at the University of Exeter in the UK this year. I have lived in Bowling Green since 1992 and plan to stay here; at least in the foreseeable future. I like to work with wood in my spare time, especially woodcarving (I just finished carving of a black bear). I also like technology -- especially working with computers and designing webpages. I don't play any musical instruments although I probably had one of the few left-handed, 5-string banjos ever made -- I am left-handed and had it custom made during a moment of insanity! I never learned to play it, though -- something I now regret.
Something different about me is that, in a former life, I was a distance runner. I trained for marathons typically averaging over 70 miles per week. One afternoon, I went running in a cornfield for a change of scenery and got lost and it was starting to get dark. I couldn't see where I needed to go because the corn was so high so I had to run in one direction until I came to the edge of the cornfield then run around the perimeter of the field until I found the place I came in. Needless to say I got a good workout that day and a bit of a scare because cornfields are dark at night -- but I certainly had a change of scenery! That's what happens when you put a "city boy" on a farm!!
Classes I teachCFS-171 -- Introduction to Management in the Hospitality Industry
CFS-271 -- Tourism Planning and Development
CFS-275 -- Restaurant Management
CFS-313 -- Practicum in Hospitality Managment
CFS-351 -- Human Resource Management in the Hospitality Industry
CFS-375 -- Meeting, Convention and Exposition Management
CFS-410 -- Internship in Hospitality Management
CFS-452 -- Quality and Service Management
CFS-471 -- Catering and Beverage Management