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The Nolan of Hotel Administration at Cornell University was founded in 1922 as the first four-year intercollegiate school in the world devoted to the field. It was established in response to an increased need for professionals in the hospitality industry. 

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Eduard M. Tierney of the Ansonia Hotel stated that "There is a dearth of competent hotel employees, and such a course at Cornell would have the endorsement and co-operation of the hotel men generally throughout the country... The war brought a great change in the hotel worker, and the old-time attitude of servility has been replaced by efficient service giving and courtesy. Young men now enter the hotel business just as they would banking, railroad, or commercial life, to find a future in it, and the hotel man must offer the same attractions of commensurate pay and advancement."

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Professor Howard B. Meek envisioned the future of hoteliers and focused his efforts on helping to shape the minds of future professionals going into the industry. His effort was eventually recognized at the 2nd Annual Hotel Ezra Cornell. 

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IN 1927, MEEK CONVINCED A SKEPTICAL ELLSWORTH MILTON STATLER

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At the annual Hotel Ezra Cornell, an event that was used to showcase the talents of the students in the Nolan School of Hotel Administration, Meek helped convince Stater of the value of the concept for hospitality education. Statler famously declared, "I'm converted. Meek can have any damn thing he wants."

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Statler and his wife soon donated a total of more than $10 million and the rest is history. Today, over 900 undergraduate students and 50 graduate students are enrolled, hailing from almost 50 countries. These students are engrossed in a curriculum that encompasses all facets of general business management with a focus on the hospitality industry.

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ON JANUARY 28, 2016, THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS IS AUTHORIZED

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Cornell University contains three accredited business schools: the Nolan School of Hotel Administration, the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management (Dyson), and the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management (Johnson). The new Cornell College of Business is composed of each of these business programs and began enrollment in the fall of 2016.

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