Department of Hospitality & Sport Business Management
From our student-run restaurant and teaching hotel to analytics projects that solve real business challenges, our distinctive facilities and faculty expertise set Lerner apart.
Undergraduate Programs
Majors
- Hospitality and Event Business Management B.S.
- Hospitality Industry Management B.S.
- Sport Management B.S.
Minors
- Beverage Management
- Event Management
- Gastronomy and Cuisines
- Real Estate Management
- Restaurant Management
- Sport Management
- Spa and Wellness Management
- Sport Business Analytics
- Tourism and Travel Management
Accelerated 4+1 Programs
Graduate Programs
Master’s Programs
MBA Programs
Dual Graduate Degree
Ph.D. Program
STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Travel the world through Lerner study abroad opportunities like Australia or South Africa.
LEARN BY LEADING
Discover how hospitality students build the confidence and skills employers value. See how they turn classroom learning into real-world leadership at the Vita Nova restaurant.
FACULTY HIGHLIGHT
From Taylor Swift to the Super Bowl, Professors John Allgood and Timothy DeSchriver explore how culture, media and consumer behavior shape the business of sports, turning today’s headlines into tomorrow’s classroom discussions.
Hospitality and Sport Business Management Advisory Board
Chair: Michele Metrinko-Rollins
Chair
Rollins Jamaica, Ltd.
Paul Altero ’96
Co-Founder/CEO
Bubbakoo’s Burritos
Robert Ashby ’77
President/Owner
Ashby Hospitality Group
Robert Buccini
Co-Founder and Co-President
Buccini/Pollin Group
Vince DiFonzo, CHA
President
TKo Hospitality
Jim Donofrio
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships
NBC Sports
Scott Ellman ’07
Director
Eastdil Secured
Patrick English
VP, Operations
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Allan Fernandes ’92
Vice President – Global Safety & Risk Control
Aramark
Plato Ghinos
President
Shaner Hotel Group
Jean Leahy Jakoby
VP Global Sales
Pepsi Co Foodservice
Paula Kelly ’92
General Manager
Merion Golf Club
David Lasus ’03
Chief Executive Officer
Heart + Paw
Alex Moeckel ’08
Regional Vice President – Luxury & Lifestyle Development
IHG Hotels & Resorts
Lisa Murray
Executive Vice President
Chief Marketing Officer, Octagon
Ajith Nayar, ’07
Co Founder and CEO
CamCom
Gary Price
Executive Vice President, Operations
Love’s Travel Stops
Prashanth Radhakrishnan
Vice President, Customer, Marketing & Digital Analytics
Marriott International
Richard Schneider
Chief Development Officer
Areas
Xavier Teixido ’03
President
Harry’s Hospitality Group
Gary Trenaman ’92
Vice President
Fox Sports
97%
of graduates of all hospitality and sport business management degree programs employed, 2025
#9
of 177 undergraduate hospitality programs, CollegeFactual
#12
of 112 undergraduate sport management programs, CollegeFactual
University of Delaware experts examine how the 2026 FIFA World Cup is strengthening communities, inspiring youth participation and creating shared experiences that endure long after the tournament ends.
Recent Stories
William V. “Bill” Gehrlein, professor emeritus of operations management in the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, passed away on July 17, 2026. He retired from the University in 2013 after a distinguished career dedicated to...
University of Delaware management professor Wendy Smith has spent much of her career examining a challenge familiar to leaders across industries: how to navigate competing demands without choosing one at the expense of another. Now, research that helped advance the...
University of Delaware marketing major Samantha Matisoff loved sports — especially soccer and the U.S. Women’s National Team — but her career trajectory remained uncertain. Following her sophomore year, Matisoff added sport management as a second major and never...
This article is written by Cori Burcham. During her keynote speech at the annual Personal Finance and Economic Education Conference hosted by the University of Delaware’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship (CEEE), Shelby Borst, a social studies teacher...
