What’s Up at Widener University’s Chapter of PCMA

It has been quite a busy year here at Widener University filled with numerous activities, meetings, and events. The newly elected officers met in late August to discuss and plan out the year ahead so that by September we were ready to roll. We started off the year by participating in the grand re-opening of our newly renovated J. Willard and Alice S. Marriot Dining student-run dining room. PCMA members assisted in the planning of this event, while preparing and serving the food.

Following this event, we held our annual PCMA “Outback Fundraiser” in October. This was certainly an all-hands-on-deck event in which Outback Steakhouse® staff teamed up with our PCMA members to cook and serve a three-course genuine “Outback” meal in our own dining room. While this event was primarily a fundraiser, it also served as an educational activity for our members. It was an excellent opportunity for our members to work with professional restaurateurs.

Members also sold chocolate and candles in the fall to help raise money to attend the annual conference in Dallas. Presently, we are now working on other general fundraising events such as “Hoagie Fridays” and selling “Gertrude Hawk” chocolate bars to the Widener Community.

In addition to hosting events and fundraising, Widener University PCMA also took part in numerous community service projects including volunteering again at the Ronald McDonald House, The Please Touch Museum, and cooking dinner for the USO at the Philadelphia International Airport.

This past January, we were pleased to have 12 of our members attend the annual PCMA conference in Dallas. For many of our members, this was not their first conference, but for several others it was their first chance to experience this amazing event. It was a rewarding and educational experience for all that attended. We look forward to attending next year’s annual conference in Las Vegas.

Following conference, we held a “Taste of Texas Dinner” in February. The main purpose of this event was to showcase our trip to the annual conference. This event was planned and executed entirely by the student membership of our chapter. It was a fun-filled night that allowed us to showcase our time in Dallas as well as the flavors that are indigenous to Texas with family and friends. Since this event was so successful, we decided to hold it annually to showcase the conference and the city it was held in.

Each month we host general meetings as well as board meetings in which we plan out all our events and discuss ideas for the future. We have been fortunate to have several guest speakers come in from all areas of the hospitality industry. In late January, we hosted “Interviewing Essentials”. Several HR directors in the hospitality industry came in to share their wisdom on interviewing techniques and resume preparation; this was previous to our Hospitality Career Fair. We also have Hilary Werner, a corporate meeting planner, coming in to speak to our members as well as the NACE members on Tuesday April 6th.

If you would like more information about PCMA or have any ideas or suggestions please
contact our president JJ Morgan jhmorgan@mail.widener.edu.


Submitted by Steven Devine, Secretary for Widener University's PCMA