Professor Spotlight: Steve Welpott

Professor Steve Welpott came into the Hospitality industry early on in his life.  He went to Michigan State University for graduate’s school and got his master’s degree in Hotel Restaurant Management.  During this time, he interned as a cook and later worked for Stoffer’s hotel restaurant company.  Welpott graduated during the Vietnam War and decided to go to the Officer Candidate School in the Navy in the Mess Management Program.  He was the manager for his first tour of Vietnam.  He also became the Mess treasurer where he operated a club, which was like a hotel.  After Vietnam, Welpott became a restaurant manager in Michigan and got his accounting degree from Michigan State.

Welpott worked for Marriott for twenty-two years as an internal auditor and as the Human Resource Director, for seventeen of those years.  His favorite parts about recruiting for Marriott were that he’s done it a lot, he’s gotten good at it and enjoyed it.  Welpott says he also was able to meet a lot of people he otherwise would not have.  While recruiting, he was able to match the goals of the company with the goals of potential employees and if a good match was made, he felt good that he had a hand in it.

The best parts of working in the JMU HTM department include working with students and his colleagues.  Welpott enjoys that all of the professors in the department have the same goal with their students to have a realistic view of the industry and to gain experience.  He also takes pleasure in the atmosphere of the department.

When asked what he would be doing if not at JMU with the Hospitality Program, Welpott responded with “Good question.”  He’s not ready to retire and would like to continue to contribute to students’ education.  He said working in the Academic Services Center would be wonderful because he would still be helping students.

Golf is Welpott’s favorite non-teaching activity.  He tries to go three or four times a week in the summer.