Ameristar Makes $5,000 Gift to Purdue Northwest White Lodging School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Purdue-Northwest-Ameristar-partnership-2016Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago recently presented a $5,000 gift to the Purdue University Northwest (PNW) White Lodging School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

The gift will be used for small ware kitchen equipment and also support the School’s upcoming culinary class field trip to Bangkok, Thailand.

Emerging partnership “We are extremely thankful and appreciative of this gift and the partnership emerging between Ameristar and Purdue Northwest,” Executive Director and Professor of the PNW White Lodging School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Mike Flannery said. “We value the generosity and expertise of employers like Ameristar that support our commitment to providing well-prepared students and graduates for outstanding career opportunities in the hospitality industry.”

Ameristar Vice President and General Manager Matt Shuffert, Director of Human Resources Nancy Kirk, Human Resources Business Partner Joi Watts, Talent Recruiter Allison Springer and Executive Chef Bill Osloond joined Flannery, Purdue Northwest Chancellor Thomas Keon and PNW Major Gifts Officer Jamie Manahan for the gift presentation.

“We are proud to partner with Purdue Northwest, an internationally-respected university that is located less than 10 minutes from our property,” Shuffert said. “We are honored to support its hospitality and tourism management program and food and beverage concentration, and we are excited knowing that Ameristar will benefit directly from the high quality education these students will be earning.”

240 undergraduate students The White Lodging School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, part of PNW’s College of Business, has some 240 undergraduate students preparing for supervisory/management positions in wide-ranging capacities of the hospitality industry.

The School introduced a food and beverage concentration this fall. The concentration provides training for students interested in supervisory/management careers in food and beverage-related capacities.

Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago Located adjacent to the East Chicago Marina and less than 25 miles from downtown Chicago, Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago offers an exceptional gaming and entertainment experience in the Chicago metropolitan area. The property features a 56,000 square-foot casino; a quality, full service hotel with 288 well-appointed rooms and suites; fitness center; five dining venues; two lounges; and 5,400 square feet of meeting and event space.

Purdue University Northwest Purdue University Northwest (PNW), a comprehensive regional university within the Purdue University system, has two Northwest Indiana campuses in Hammond and Westville. The university was established by the unification in early 2016 of the former Purdue University Calumet and Purdue University North Central. With more than 15,000 students and nearly 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, Purdue Northwest is Indiana’s fifth largest public university. For more information about PNW, visit www.pnw.edu.