Sheryl Fried Kline, Ph.D. CHE

Interim Dean
Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management
College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management 

Education
Ph.D., Temple University, Philadelphia, PA USA
M.S. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV USA
B.A. Rutgers College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ USA

Research Interests:
Organization development and training
Hotel Management
Crisis Management Preparedness

Biography
Dr. Kline joined the faculty at USC in the fall of 2007 where she is the Interim Dean of the College of Hospitality Retail and Sport Management.   Before joining Carolina she was a faculty member for five years at Purdue University and at Widener University for fourteen years.  While at Purdue she served as the director of the Center for the Study of Lodging Operations and was the C.B. Smith Professor of Hotel Management.  Dr. Kline has a strong record of research in the area of hotel operation and management. Her most recent research has included the impact of technology on lodging management and crisis management preparedness.  She has authored and co-authored numerous refereed journal articles, several book chapters and two textbooks.  She is the co-founder of the International Hospitality and Tourism Virtual Conference (www.ihtvc.com) and has presented her research at more than 30 national and international conferences. Her textbook, Hotel Front Office Simulations, is used by more than 50 colleges and universities.

Sheryl Kline teaches courses in hotel management, human resources management and organization and behavior. She has been recognized as an innovative teacher and is the recipient of numerous teaching awards.  Dr. Kline is an active member of industry and academic associations and has served in a variety of leadership positions including on the boards of the International Council of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education and the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Prior to joining academia she had a successful career in the hotel and casino hotel industry where she held management positions in casino hotels in Atlantic City, NJ and Las Vegas NV.

Selected Awards and Honors
John Wiley & Sons Award for Innovation in Teaching given by the International Council of Hotel, Restaurant, Institutional Educators

McCool Breakthrough Award.  Recognizes a noteworthy innovation and a new approach in the field of hospitality and tourism education. 

Mary L. Mathews Award for excellence in undergraduate teaching given by the College of Consumer and Family Sciences at Purdue University

Selected Publications
Kline, S. F., & Hsieh, Y. C. (2007). Wage differentials in the lodging industry: A Case study. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality and Tourism. 6 (1) 69-84.

Torres, E. & Kline, S. F. (2006). From customer satisfaction to delight: A model for the hotel industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 18 ( 4 ), 290-301.

Beldona, S, Brewer, P. &  Kline S. F., (2005) Centralized information systems in the lodging industry: Implications for knowledge management.  Information Technology in Hospitality  (Formerly The International Journal of Hospitality Information Technology Information Technology in Hospitality) 4 (2), 49-61.

Gregory, S., Kline, S. F. & Breiter, D. (2005). Group sales and marketing in convention hotels: Internet and web usage. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing. 18 (1), 67-76.

Smith, S. & Kline. S.F. (2005). The perfect check-in: Using touch points and operational excellence to deliver a great total customer experience. The Rooms Chronicle 13(4) 1-14.

Kline, S.F. & Yan, C. (2005). Bed bugs: Bad dreams, bad publicity, and bad for business. The Rooms Chronicle 13(2) 6-7.

Kline, S. F.,  Frash, R.  &  Stahura, J. (2004). Empowering individual effort in cooperative learning.  Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education, 16 (4), 35-43.

Kline, S. F., Morrison, A. M.  & St. John, A. R.  (2004). US bed & breakfast websites: A modified balanced scorecard approach.  Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 17 (2/3), 253- 267.

Kline, S. F. & Sullivan, W. (2002). Hotel front office simulation. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.

Kline, S. F. & Richardson E. (1995).  Quality inspection processes. Orlando, FL:  Educational Institute: American Hotel and Lodging Association.

Selected Grants and Projects
Professional Convention Managers Association (PCMA) Education Foundation/ Crisis Management Preparedness for the meeting planning industry: A white paper

Garno and Addis Insurance Company/ Development of a crisis management assessment tool for hotel properties

Assessment of learning outcomes for Web based employee-training programs.

American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA) Research Foundation / Analysis and Assessment of Hotel Quality Inspection Processes

American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA)   Research Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)/ Water conservation in small hotels

Hotel feasibility studies

Professional Affiliations
Eta Sigma Delta, the international honor society of hospitality and tourism management.
Gama Sigma Delta Honor Society
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
I-CHRIE, International Council of Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Educators
AH&LA, American Hotel and Lodging Association
PCMA Professional Convention Manager Association