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Sheryl F. Kline

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Title Aramark Chaired Professor
Email skline@nospam6a85b5e821f32.udel.edu
Office Lerner Hall Room 303F
Phone (302) 831-6207
Biography

Biography

Sheryl F. Kline is the Aramark Chaired Professor of Hospitality Business Management in the Department of Hospitality and Sport Business Management at the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, University of Delaware. She recently completed eight years of service as deputy dean of the Lerner College, including serving as acting dean in the Summer 2023.

Dr. Kline joined UD in 2013 as full professor and department chair, following six years at the University of South Carolina where she served as associate dean, full professor and interim dean of the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management. Earlier, she held the C.B. Smith Endowed Professorship at Purdue University, where she also directed the Center for the Study of Lodging Operations. She began her academic career at Widener University and brings more than a decade of industry experience as a manager in the hotel and casino industry.

Her research focuses on organizational behavior, human resources and training in the hospitality industry, with growing interests in the impact of artificial intelligence on hotel work and in mentorship and sponsorship for women in hospitality. Her work appears in leading journals including the International Journal of Hospitality Management, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management and Tourism Management, and she has been quoted in national outlets including Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Lodging Magazine.

Dr. Kline is a recipient of several teaching and research awards, including the I-CHRIE John Wiley and Sons Award for Innovation in Teaching and the McCool Breakthrough Award in Hospitality Education. She was named as one of Delaware Today magazine’s Business Women of the Year. She is an active member of industry associations, serving as co-chair of the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s Education Certification Advisory Council and on the boards of the Delaware Restaurant Association and Delaware Hotel and Lodging Association.

Education

  • Ph.D., in organizational psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
  • M.S. hospitality administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  • B.A., economics and english, Rutgers College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N. J.

Select Publications

  • Byrd, K., Liu, Y., Kline, S., Fan, A., Leitch, S., & Wang, L. (2024). Does vaccination make a difference? Understanding the role of vaccination in consumers’ in-restaurant dining intentions during a pandemic. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2024.2307683
  • Fan, A., Kline, S, Liu, Y., & Byrd, K., (2023) The servicescape effects on hotel guest’s willingness to pay premiums during the pandemic- A multi-phase study. Sustainability 15 (21), 15252
  • Poorani, A. A., Kline, S. F., DeMicco, F. J., & Sullivan, W. (2023). Hospitality to healthcare: Patient Experience Academy, a successful alliance between the ChristianaCare Health System and the University of Delaware. International Journal of Hospitality Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103422
  • Fan, A., Kline, S. F., Liu, Y., & Byrd, K. (2022). Consumers’ lodging intentions during a pandemic: Empirical insights for crisis management practices based on protection motivation theory and expectancy theory. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 34(4), 1290–1311. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2021-0889
  • O’Rourke, R. L., Mayo, F., & Kline, S. F. (2021). Teaching etiquette in hospitality and tourism programs. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 45(5), 858-861.
  • Park, H., Kline, S.F., Kim, J., Almanza, B., & Ma, J. (2020). Does hotel cleanliness correlate with surfaces guests contact? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(7) 2933- 2950.
  • Malek, K., Kline, S. F. & DiPietro, R. (2018). The impact of manager training on employee turnover. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 1 (3), 203-219.
  • Kline, S.F., Almanza, B and Neal, J., In Almanza, B., Ghiselli, R. and Mahmood, K. (2014) (Eds.) Guest room cleaning: A systematic approach. In Food safety: Researching the hazard in hazardous foods, London, UK, CRC Press Taylor and Francis Co.
  • Torres, E., & Kline, S.F. (2013). From customer satisfaction to customer delight: Creating a new standard of service for the hotel. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
  • Smith, S. L., & Kline, S. F. (2010). Crisis preparedness and meeting planner perceptions. Journal of Convention and Event Tourism 11(1), 62-78.
  • Kline, S. F., Adler, H., Ghiselli, R., & Huang, S. (2008). General Managers in mid-scale hotels: Are they plateaued? Florida International University (FIU) Hospitality Review. 26 (1), 21-31.
  • Kline, S. F., & Harris, K. (2008). ROI is MIA: Why are hoteliers failing to demand the ROI of training. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 20 (1), 45-59.
  • Kline, S. F., & Hsieh, Y. C. (2007). Wage differentials in the lodging industry: A Case study. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality and Tourism. 6 (1) 69-84.
  • Kline, S. F., & Sullivan, W. (2002). Hotel front office simulation. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.
  • Hashimoto, K., Kline, S. F., & Fenich, G. (1997). Casino management: Past present and future. 2nd ed. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.

Awards & Honors

  • Delaware Business Women of the Year by Delaware Today Magazine, 2015
  • Academic Leadership Development Fellow for the South Eastern Conference (SEC), University of South Carolina, 2008
  • John Wiley and Sons Award for Innovation in Teaching, International Council of Hotel Restaurant, Institutional Education, 2007
  • Mary L. Mathews Teaching Excellence, Award College of Consumer & Family Science (CFS), Purdue University, 2007
  • C. B. Smith Endowed Professorship of Hotel Management, Purdue University, 2001-2007
  • McCool Breakthrough Award for Noteworthy Innovation in Hospitality Education, International Council of Hotel, Restaurant, & Institutional Education, 2006
  • Arnold I Cohen Faculty Development Endowed Award for Faculty Commitment to Develop Research, Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University, 2005
  • Bruce Lazarus Award for Teaching Excellence, Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University, 2005