Kurt A. Stahura

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.
Why Niagara?
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.
Why VMI?
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.