Date: November 30, 2006

To: Scott Jones, Professor

Business and Economics

From: Fred J. DeMicco, Professor and ARAMARK Chair

Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management

Subject: Letter of Support from HRIM for a proposed Entrepreneurial Studies Minor

We are very supportive of your proposed minor in Entrepreneurial Studies and anticipate that it will be of great interest to our Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management students. Few industries have the entrepreneurial opportunities of the hospitality industry. Many of our students aspire to own their own restaurants, hotels, catering companies, bed and breakfasts, etc. A minor in Entrepreneurial Studies along with their degree in HRIM would provide these students with a great foundation.

Informal surveys of HRIM students reveal that approximately 50 percent of our incoming students have an interest in owning a business one day. At Cornell, the figure is approximately 60 percent of incoming freshman. Cornell has initiated a new center for entrepreneurship and innovation with a $15 million gift from the Pillsbury Family.

Presently, the UD minor in Business and Economics is a popular minor among HRIM students. We expect that a new B & E minor in Entrepreneurial Studies would also have broad appeal among our students.

Therefore, we offer our support of this new proposed minor by Business and Economics. HRIM presently has a course, HRIM 314 Hospitality Entrepreneurship and Venture Creation, which could make a suitable elective course for the new minor (pending funding to teach such a course).

Best of luck in having a successful proposal with the new minor.