The Statler Foundation has continued its support for Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management program with a $100,000 program grant to purchase advanced hotel management software and a sixth $25,000 scholarship for an IUP student in the Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management program.
Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management students Riley Rehrig, behind desk, with Jade Peffer in front of the Statler Foundation’s simulation lab front desk
This funding from the Statler Foundation is part of IUP’s Impact 150, the university’s $150 million comprehensive campaign, which has raised just over $102 million since its public launch in August 2025.
The largest fundraising campaign in the university’s history, the campaign is named in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration in 2025. At the time of the campaign launch, a total of $81,236,852–54 percent of the campaign goal—had been gifted to IUP from 11,673 donors.
Impact 150 centers around raising funds for healthy students, including supporting students academically and personally; a healthy university, including maintaining IUP’s commitment to excellence and innovation; and healthy communities, including IUP’s work to establish a college of osteopathic medicine.
The $100,000 program grant and funds for a sixth scholarship follows the Statler Foundation’s 2022 $125,000 donation to construct a hotel front desk simulation lab for students and the Statler Foundation’s 2025 $50,000 gift for hotel management software.
The simulation lab, opened for student use in 2023, is in the Eberly College of Business building; the Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management program is part of the Department of Hospitality and Employment Relations in the Eberly College.
IUP’s Council of Trustees approved naming the simulation lab in honor of the Statler Foundation in March 2024. The Statler hotel front desk simulation lab provides an opportunity for students to experience a real check-in and check-out process at a desk that is custom-built for practicing customer service operations, including customer service issues.
Kayla Kritschil, a senior hotel, restaurant, tourism and event management major from Birdsboro, is the sixth IUP student to receive the Statler Foundation’s Scholarship of Excellence. She is a member of the Eberly College of Business honors program and is vice president of Eta Sigma Delta hospitality honor society.
The Statler Foundation was created from the estate of hotelier Ellsworth M. Statler following his death in 1928. Its purpose is to support research work and train employees for the benefit of the hotel industry. Statler, a self-made millionaire who worked his way from bellhop to industry legend, founded the largest premier hotel chain of his day. The competitive Statler Scholarship of Excellence was established in 1997 and is awarded to students who demonstrate a high degree of academic performance and aptitude studying the hotel management field.
IUP is one of the few colleges and universities in Pennsylvania to offer a hotel front desk simulation lab and the advanced software.
“We continue to be very grateful to the Statler Foundation for their support and very proud to partner with them to prepare leaders for the hospitality industry,” IUP Vice President for University Advancement Jennifer DeAngelo said. “Not only have they provided funding for the simulation lab and software, but the Statler Foundation also continues to make a significant impact for individual students who are promising future professionals through the Statler Foundation scholarships,” she said.
“We are grateful for the Statler Foundation’s continued support of our students and our program,” Department of Hospitality and Employment Relations Chairperson Jeffrey Santicola said. “They have certainly helped us to grow our program through their generosity and understanding of the need for a sound academic setting for the hotel, restaurant, tourism, and event management training. As the world’s largest service-providing industry, the significant hands-on facilities and approach to teaching assists our students in securing a successful start to their professional careers.”
The software is in use in several courses, including Nicole Clevenger’s Hotel Operations Management class.
“This investment in real‑world software transforms how we prepare students for careers in hospitality,” Clevenger, an associate professor in the Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management program, said. “It gives them the chance to practice managing unpredictable operational challenges, apply critical technical skills, and role‑play authentic guest‑service interactions. The digital badges and certifications they earn not only validate their learning but help them stand out as work‑ready professionals. We are excited to offer a learning experience that directly aligns with what employers are seeking,” Clevenger said.
Tracing its history at IUP back to 1916, IUP’s Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management program has been providing an exceptional education to students who are interested in pursuing a career in this field, offering specialized knowledge and skills for managing the businesses within the hospitality industry.
This premier program consistently enrolls more than 100 majors annually, making it one of the largest undergraduate hospitality programs of study in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the largest program in the PASSHE System. In addition to studies in the classroom, students operate the Allenwood Restaurant and serve guests in the Isabella Wilkinson Green dining room. Students in the program are required to complete two industry-specific internships.
IUP’s Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism, and Event Management program is ranked ninth in the nation by Study.Com.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025 and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.