After working to complete coursework, industry hours and internships, Temple’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM) seniors must pass the final test: the Senior Professional Development Seminar, administered by Assistant Dean Jeffrey Montague.

Montague, who has been teaching the class for 18 years now, explained, “My original goal was to create a fictitious business environment within the classroom which would include a president, vice president, committee chairs, and members or staff roles. It migrated into a real company called Montague and Associates.”

The key word is real. Everything the senior seminar class encompasses provides a real, honest, hands-on experience that few other classes can.

Jeff Liebreich, vice president of the Fall 2008 senior seminar, said, “Mr. Montague is by far one of the most influential people who has ever entered my life. He tells it to you like it is. No frills.”

The main campus and center city branches of Montague and Associates specialize in developing newsletters and Web sites in multiple languages, seeking corporate sponsorship for their planned events and welcoming high profile guests to speak.

At the beginning of the semester, the senior seminar class is divided into committees and each student is entrusted with a specific position to mirror a real corporate setting.

“The leaders are not necessarily chosen because they are leaders,” said Montague, “but because of their weaknesses that need to be strengthened during the course of the semester.”

As a team, the committees, which range from human resources to marketing to sponsorship, are responsible for planning, developing, producing and hosting each of the senior seminar’s four annual corporate events: Career Day, the semi-formal, the networking event and the student luncheon.

During the course of the semester, the senior seminar also produces “The Connection,” a monthly newsletter featuring articles from its students. Montague requires each student to write an article coinciding with a different theme each month, but only the best and most creative are selected for final publication and distribution to the STHM community and alumni.

Senior seminar students must grasp this sense of competition and hard work early on to do well in the course.

“I could make you a list of 30 things that they’ll learn and can then apply to the business world,” offered Montague.

Seniors are taught to market themselves and network with others. Through a month-long series of debates, students are taught to have a global perspective and an opinion on important world issues. One of the most important concepts Professor Montague instills in his students is “transparency.” “I’m trying to get students not to see differences in people, just levels of competence.”

Anthony Morrison, a 2002 STHM graduate who works in event operations for the Philadelphia Phillies, said, “Senior seminar is brutally honest and I think that’s what shapes a lot of the graduates. It’s a real class that focuses on real current issues like race, religion and politics.”

The influence of the senior seminar has extended past the class itself, and continually contributes to the professional development of the entire undergraduate STHM community. In the Fall 2008 seminar’s mission statement, President Elan Dweck said, “We will lead by example, with the intention of inspiring undergraduates, so that they will exceed expectations and continually improve STHM’s reputation long after our class has made our mark.”

While the “17th Annual Career Day: Creating a Sustainable Future,” exposed students to the industry, the December semi-formal gave STHM’s aspiring professionals a chance to learn business dress and etiquette. At the spring networking event, students will get to practice what they’ve learned as they sit down to speak with executives. The student luncheon is a farewell, a showcasing of talents and final congratulations for graduating seniors and their families.

In addition, the money raised from these yearly events benefits the Senior Seminar Endowed Scholarship Fund, developed by Montague himself. The scholarship is given to two seniors each year for their work and dedication in the tourism and hospitality field.

“My hope is to see all of my students get quality and professional internship opportunities that will introduce them to the job market and the real world that senior seminar has prepared them for,” wished Montague to his current seniors.

Although senior seminar may prove to be one of the most difficult classes STHM students will take in the course of their education, the outcome is well worth the effort. Montague concluded, “From kindergarten to senior year of college, it’s all the same. I don’t want you to read a textbook, I don’t want you to take an exam, I want you to show me what you’ve learned. That is what senior seminar does.”