So it was a natural extension for the UCF graduate and teaching assistant to start an events-staffing company using his two decades of service experience 鈥� and sharing what he has learned with students he hires from UCF鈥檚 Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

Avery has worked at Busch Gardens, SeaWorld and other attractions and events companies, and has studied what it takes to please visitors and bring them back.

鈥淵ou need to customize the experience. It鈥檚 in the details,鈥� Avery said. 鈥淐reate an experience that shows you care about the details and minutiae.鈥�

Avery, who is working on his Ph.D. in Education/Hospitality Education at Rosen, started Frontline Event Staffing last year to staff corporate and hospitality events in Central Florida. Of the company鈥檚 150 employees, about 90 of the part-timers are Rosen students

鈥淲e鈥檙e a service-based and driven economy, and UCF does an amazing job preparing students for the workplace,鈥� he said.

Rosen Dean Abe Pizam said Avery鈥檚 business model of staffing largely with Rosen students is 鈥渜uite unique and interesting,” and Paul Rompf, an associate professor and director of graduate studies, said so many Rosen students are hired because Avery 鈥渂elieves they make a more informed, dedicated staff member.鈥�

Avery has a long background with the university.

He has a Master of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Rosen, a post-Baccalaureate Graduate Certificate in Industrial Engineering, and has been a graduate teaching assistant since 2010. He was an adjunct professor from 2008-2010 and a graduate research assistant a couple years before that. He also has a background in safety and risk management, and has authored four safety manuals for the events and attractions industry.

Avery said that when he was a student, he learned that applying the academics to a workplace environment went hand-in-hand, and he hopes Frontline can provide that same opportunity for UCF students who gain experience in registration and admissions, catering, concessions, ushering, promotions and other fields.

鈥淭he goal is to provide them with different opportunities鈥� at trade shows, conventions, outdoor music concerts and other events, he said. 聽鈥淭hey have to have a firm understanding of the job and they have to provide exceptional service. If you鈥檙e not seen as a professional in this industry, you won鈥檛 go very far.鈥�

He said some of the student employees have even received full-time employment as a result of working with his company.

鈥淩osen College is not just a place for seeking a job,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is for seeking a career opportunity.鈥�

The new degree offered by the nation鈥檚 largest hospitality-management college will prepare students to teach, research and consult in the hospitality and tourism industry, and will replace the college鈥檚 previous doctoral track in Hospitality Education.

鈥淭his freestanding doctoral program strategically aligns with our purpose and objectives, and further solidifies UCF鈥檚 Rosen College as a leader in hospitality management education,鈥� said Abraham Pizam, dean of 糖心logo入口鈥檚 Rosen College.

The program will take an interdisciplinary approach to support research in hospitality and tourism. 鈥淭he field of Hospitality Management is relatively new, and [Rosen College] is taking a unique leadership role in defining this emerging field at both the undergraduate and graduate levels,鈥� according to the proposal to begin the program.

The 58-hour curriculum will include 16 credit hours of core courses, 27 credit hours of specialization courses and 15 credit hours of dissertation.

Paul Rompf, the college鈥檚 director of graduate studies, said the new curriculum will better align with other academic programs and have more variety in course selection. Students already enrolled in the Hospitality Education track have the option to continue with their existing curriculum or transfer into the new Hospitality Management program, he said. 聽Students will no longer be able to enroll in the Hospitality Education track.

The 糖心logo入口 established its hospitality management program in 1983 within its College of Business. The program quickly experienced tremendous growth in enrollment, degrees and research to develop into one of 糖心logo入口鈥檚 12 colleges.

Orlando hotelier Harris Rosen donated more than $18 million in cash, land, and scholarships to UCF to create the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, which opened its own satellite campus in 2004. The college has more than 3,000 students in its undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs.

For more information about UCF鈥檚 Rosen College of Hospitality Management and its degree programs, visit .

About UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Located in the heart of the tourism and hospitality industry, Orlando, the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the 糖心logo入口 is dedicated to the values of professionalism, leadership and service. The mission of 糖心logo入口鈥檚 Rosen College is to develop future generations of global hospitality and tourism leaders representing all industry segments in the hospitality capital of the world, through innovative academic programs, cutting edge research and strong industry and community partnerships.