25 Years of Excellence...

Blog

Cesar Ritz Colleges celebrated their 25^th anniversary on May 24, 25 and 26, 2007. Careful planning and flawless execution resulted in a memorable experience for everyone. Here is a brief narration of the events, please click here to view some more photos or click here if you wish to leave a comment.

Thursday May 24, 2007 @ 9:00 - University Center Cesar Ritz

Presentation about Relationships and Collaboration between Cesar Ritz Colleges and Graduates

To mark off the big occasion, a presentation about the relationship and collaboration between Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland and alumni was held at the University Centre Cesar Ritz in Brig. The meeting was hosted by Mr. Jonathan Hilton (Director of Admissions and Enrolment), Ms. Marga Cretton (Director of Alumni Affairs & German Market) and Ms. Michele Patry (Alumni Network Manager) and attended by most Worldwide Chapter Presidents. The main topic of discussion was the different types of relationships that had developed between Cesar Ritz Colleges and alumni over the years. Jonathan gave examples of Teg Brar, Jacqueline Ocholla and Irfan Mirza who have been involved with the colleges in various capacities. Chapter Presidents Teg Brar (Canada), Ayhan Coner (Turkey) Richard Farr (Australia) gave presentations about their chapters and how they had evolved. A forum followed the presentations and many interesting topics were discussed. Michele Patry announced that a new Cesar Ritz alumni website was being developed. There is a growing need for alumni to be able to communicate effectively and this will definitely be looked at for the new website. Michele Patry welcomes any suggestions at michele.patry@ritz.edu.

Welcome Aperitif at University Centre Cesar Ritz @ 11:30

Cool beverages provided a welcome relief on this warm sunny day in Brig. It was a great opportunity to meet the faculty, staff and friends at UCCR. B.Y. Low (Boon) and Peter Van Thiel were the first batch graduates of our colleges in 1983 and their attendance brought a special meaning to the event. Some other graduates that I knew from the early years were John Kim (1991), Vutthi Prakaipetkul (1991) and Ayhan Coner (1990). Ayhan was actually sighted at the colleges on many weekends well after 1990, the purpose of those trips he says was to organize ‘Parties’ in the Cesar Ritz dining room.

City Tour of Brig by Train @ 14:00

Touring the city by this small train was a very pleasant experience. Dr. Petri and Mr. Kisseleff accompanied us for this special ride. Viwan Opanukij (Msc. Candidate) was our tour guide and took us on the following route:

Brig is derived from the word "briva" which means bridge.

Fitness Palace - the local gym that the school has made an arrangement where students can get a special membership price. The owner of the gym Rene is a local celebrity. He was 7 times Swiss Championship for weightlifting and three times world champion.

Outdoor Pool – Near the fitness centre is the outdoor pool. All UCCR students have free access to it. To get admission they just need to show their student ID. This is great as Brig is the hottest town in the entire country.

Stockalper Schloss - The most famous landmark in Brig! I call it "the onion". The building was completed in 1678 and when it was completed it was the largest private residence in Switzerland. It is owned by Stockalper, a wealthy local merchant who made his fortune through trade and postal service.

The main square: This is where there is live music on a
Friday night in summer and during the winter there is an ice skating rink erected in the centre of the square.

The train station is an important hub as it connects Switzerland with Italy. The Swiss Rail Corporation will be expanding that building by building a “Rail City”. This is exciting news for us because that means there will be Sunday shopping which is a rarity in Switzerland.

The New Dorms – Mr. Gutzwiller proudly showed off the new facility currently under construction and when complete will include the following:

-2 seven story buildings connected by a common reception and lounge area.

-220 single rooms each with a private bathroom, television, DVD player and wireless internet connection.

-The ground floor will have a lounge area, kitchens, a dining room, a boulevard-style cafeteria, three study rooms, a fitness room, and a laundry room with washing machines and dryers.

-The basement will house parking spaces

-A basketball court

Alumni Panel’s Presentation to Students and Faculty @ 15:30

This session began with the Chapter Presidents introducing themselves. The alumni panel comprised of the following students who first spoke about their careers and later took questions from the present students:

Ayhan Coner - Turkish DO&CO Airline Catering)
John Kim - GM, Overseas Marketing Resort - Samsung Everland
Nadia Akhmisse - World Conservation Union
Stefano Leone - Deputy General Manager - Carlton Hotel Baglioni)
Eva Codina - General Manager - AC Hotels
Tine (Martin) Brodnjak - General Manager - M Hotels

This was a valuable exercise which allowed the current students to gain valuable insight into the professional achievements of Cesar Ritz graduates.

Aperitif and Post Graduate Theme Night Dinner at UCCR @ 20:00

Everyone had been ‘warned’ by Mr. Gutzwiller that this was a student hosted event that fulfilled a course requirement and that we may be in for a ‘surprise’. The theme was ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and all guests were required to wear a hat which were readily available at the door. Considering the students had only been in classes for a period of 6 weeks, they did a great job. Dinner was buffet style and accompanied entertainment such as singing and dancing. Mr. Kisseleff and Dr. Petri both gave speeches and Dr. Petri, the founder of Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland, traced our history from the first Hotel Consult SHCC College at Hotel Alpina in Brig. The school successfully combined Swiss professional training with American principles and this style was not well received by the Swiss educational authorities. The concept proved successful and Dr. Petri opened his second school in Lax in 1983 and became the first to offer a joint Swiss – US Bachelor Degree in Switzerland. Institut Hotelier Cesar Ritz, Le Bouveret opened in 1986 followed by the opening of International College of Hospitality Administration in 1992 in Brig now known as University Centre Cesar Ritz.

After dinner the party continued at a local bar called ‘Scala’…

Friday May 25, 2007

After having breakfast at the Good Night Inn in Brig, we boarded the bus to go to Le Bouveret at 8:15 on Friday. Needless to stay it was a fairly uneventful journey as most people took advantage and caught up on some much needed rest.

As one nears Le Bouveret the landscape becomes familiar and never fails to evoke a sense of nostalgia amongst Cesar Ritz graduates. After all, this is where it all started!

Our arrival at IHCR was Ritz style all the way. Trude Gulbrandsoy and Christian Konrad met us in the lobby and handes us the keys to our rooms. All Chapter Presidents were staying in the main building. A few short flights of stairs and I found myself enjoying the view of Lac Leman from room 424. Without doubt our school has the most beautiful views in the world.

Welcome Drinks at Cesar Ritz @ 10:00

Welcome drinks were served at the terrace and the weather was perfect. Sitting on the terrace sipping drinks brought back many memories. It was a good opportunity to network and meet new friends.

Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland in the 20^th Century Presentation @ 10:30

Mme Marga Cretton, Director of Alumni Affairs gave the opening address and like always made everyone feel welcome. She reiterated the importance of keeping in touch with everyone. Michele Patry, Alumni Network Manager took the stage next and spoke about the importance of the worldwide chapters and pointed out all the countries/cities where these were in operation currently or were under the planning stages. A new magazine ‘Connection alumni news’ has replaced Alphorn. The ‘Connection’ has a new format, layout and aims to maintain and strengthen the alumni network. Chapter Presidents Richard Farr, Teg Brar and Ayhan Coner spoke briefly about their chapters. This was followed by a presentation by Trude Gulbrandsoy, Career Service Manager on the role Cesar Ritz plays in creating opportunities for graduates. She discussed the Dubai Career trip which was extremely successful (to read more please visit http://www.ritz.edu/hospitality_career/upcoming.html) and also the different companies that visit our campuses regularly to recruit students. Mr. Herve Fournier, Director, IHCR discussed the high quality of education provided at our colleges and the strenuous routines that students had to follow to successfully graduate. He talked about the program structure, the new Culinary Art Academy and the Leadership Program which will be very beneficial for the development of the students. Reto Leder, Director Marketing and Communications discussed our programs and the different relationships that have been formed over the years with different international organizations. Today our programs are offered at many international locations and offer the students a wide array of transfer possibilities. Mr. Kisseleff, President of Cesar Ritz Colleges discussed the growing needs of quality research conducted by the Cesar Ritz graduates to be available to the general public. The vision is to publish the research topics online so that interested parties may contact the student directly, should they be interested in obtaining the full paper from the student.

Lunch in McRitz @ 11:50am

This is just like the old times! The good weather allowed us to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful view, good food and the company of fellow alumni.

Alumni Panel’s Presentation to Students and Faculty @ 16:30

This event was held in the Auditorium or the ‘Chapel’ as it used to be called in our times and started with alumni introductions. This was followed by the panel members briefly talking about their careers and then took questions from the current students. The discussions were useful and enjoyed by all.

Cocktails on the Terrace @ 18:30

The celebrations began with cocktails on the terrace. We could not have asked for better weather, it was a typical summer evening in Le Bouveret. The two dance performances by the students were enjoyed by all. Everyone mingled and it was a great opportunity to network and make new friends.

25^th Anniversary Gala Dinner @ 19:30

The Gala Dinner organized by the students in honor of the graduates was indeed quite an affair. The plate service, the food and the ambience were all exceptional. Dr. Petri and Mr. Kisseleff both gave inspiring speeches. It was an enjoyable evening which brought back a lot of memories of organizing our own theme banquets, many years ago. The dinner ended around 23:30 and the celebrations were carried over to the ‘Dog and the Lamp Post’ which I must say is more popular than ever before.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Excursion to Bern

After enjoying a typical Sunday Brunch in McRitz, we departed for an excursion to Berne, the capital of Switzerland. Berne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and presents a fine example of medieval architecture. The first stop was beverages and pretzels followed by the Berne Show which provided us with an insight into the background of the city. Then we embarked on a guided tour of the beautiful city which included the Bear Pit (home to two bears), the Clock Tower, Cathedral and many fountains. We also managed to squeeze in some shopping during our trip to Berne.

Swiss Dinner at Le Manoir Restaurant in Vionnaz

To round up the celebrations, a Swiss dinner was organized at Le Manoir Restaurant. Raclette and Fondue were the house specials and everyone enjoyed the Swiss meal. In addition to the alumni, the event was also attended by Dr. Petri & family, Mr. Kisseleff, Mme. Cretton, Michele and Trude.

After dinner we drove back to Le Bouveret and the celebrations continued in the student bar.

The 25^th anniversary celebrations were nothing short of spectacular, everyone had a great time. It was wonderful to see everyone after so many years and it definitely brought back lots of memories of the ‘good old times’. It was indeed a family reuniting after many years and we hope that we will meet again soon!

Teg Brar

Chapter President, Canada