Kate Early, from Corning, New York, is a fifth-year senior, who will graduate in the spring of 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management. Not ready to leave UNH, she decided to take an extra year to complete a thesis on her research at the Hamanasi eco-resort in Belize. Kate’s research began in her junior year when she conducted desk research on eco-tourism and sustainability for a hospitality marketing class. Then in the summer of 2011, an IROP grant allowed her to spend nine weeks at the Hamanasi resort, where she expanded upon her research through field work that involved interviews with owners, guests and employees. The result of what she learned has been compiled into an IROP report, a presentation for the IROP Symposium, an honors thesis, and finally her article for Inquiry. Among other things, Kate has learned about the challenges involved in balancing a profitable business with sustainable practices. This information will no doubt be valuable for her as she pursues a career in hospitality. After graduation, Kate plans to enter a manager-in-training program with a hotel management company and will continue to explore future opportunities with sustainable hotels and tourism.
Dr. Udo Schlentrich was an associate professor in the Department of Hospitality and Management in the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire. After 25 years of working for hotels throughout the world, Dr. Schlentrich came to UNH as a visiting professor. His intention was to stay for one year and then go back to his previous career, but Dr. Schlentrich enjoyed the UNH community so much that he is now on his twelfth year of teaching. He finds great joy in sharing the knowledge he has gained from his own career to help the future careers of his students. This is one reason why he enjoyed mentoring Kate Early during her IROP research. From connections formed at UNH and through his professional career, Dr. Schlentrich was able to target the Hamanasi eco-resort as a location where Kate could conduct research and gain valuable experience in the field of hospitality. Dr. Schlentrich, himself, has conducted research to understand the best ways to balance the obligation to protect the environment with the need to develop financially successful resorts. Through her research, Kate was able to discover how Hamanasi has succeeded in striking such a balance. Now, as Dr. Schlentrich points out, Kate is able to synthesize the knowledge she gained from her experience in Belize by writing for Inquiry’s broad audience. Dr. Schlentrich retired from teaching at the end of the fall 2011 semester.
Dana Krauskopf was Kate’s foreign mentor in Belize. She and her husband, Dave, both American citizens, are founders and owners of Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort, the eco-resort where Kate did her research. She and Kate were introduced via Dr. Schlentrich. This is her first time as a foreign mentor for an undergraduate researcher, but she has had a rewarding experience working with Kate and offering her the opportunity to live in and experience a new country and culture. “I am always willing to help students further their scholarly and professional knowledge,” she said. “I also gain from their insight, ideas and perspectives.” Although they were together for only two weeks, both Kate and Ms. Krauskopf benefited from the mentor/student relationship. Ms. Krauskopf learned from Kate’s “fresh eyes” a new view of her business, and Kate learned about the challenges Hamanasi faces in balancing business operations and sustainable practices.
Read Kate Early’s research article Hamanasi Eco-Resort: Examining the Profit, Planet, and People Bottom Lines of Sustainability >>
