Dr. Kurt A. Stahura is Dean of the world renowned College of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Niagara University. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.A.) and his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota where he graduated with high honors (Phi Kappa Phi). He comes to Niagara after serving as the Managing Director for UNLV-Singapore which is part of the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). As an administrator he has also served as an Assistant Dean, Program Director and Director for Student and Academic Affairs over the course of his academic career.

 

As a scholar and tenured faculty member Dr. Stahura taught courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level in organizational behavior, research methods, human resources, diversity, leadership and intercultural communication. He has conducted research on a variety of cultural and social trends in leisure, hospitality, tourism, and sport. Dr. Stahura has served as a journal editor and been on a number of editorial boards. He has chaired over 50 dissertations, master’s theses, and interdisciplinary honors projects. He has published over 40 articles appearing in regional, national and international journals and has over 130 presentations and conference keynote speeches. Dr. Stahura has also been involved extensively in executive education creating a bridge between the academy and industry. His scholarly pursuits and consulting expertise have brought him to India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Greece, Turkey and all over the United States. Dr. Stahura has also provided consulting assistance on issues surrounding program development, organizational structuring, and communication facilitation.

 

 

I wake up every morning and look forward to going to work within higher education. This has been the case throughout my entire career. In much the same way that members of the clergy feel that they received a “calling” to the church, I feel I was called to this profession.

 

I enjoy my job as an administrator but still feel that I am a teacher at my core. I enjoy the interaction with the students. I enjoy watching students grow between the very impressionable ages between 18 – 23 or so. I enjoy guiding them through this transformational experience we call college. Niagara affords me the opportunity to impact students as an administrator while still engaging them as a professor. Much larger institutions remove Dean’s from the classroom entirely and I would feel as if I was limited or deprived of my original purpose. I am proud of our university, the program, our purpose and the young people we produce for society.

 

 

I have always felt that it was important to give back and have passed that along to my students as I have progressed through my career. St. Vincent de Paul’s ideology has always been a part of my constitution but education was the platform and vehicle through which I was passing his teachings. I also consider myself to be a lifelong learner. I am looking forward to learning more about this inspirational figure as well as learning more about myself in the process.