Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management

Unlocking Extraordinary

The Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management is the place where you can unlock your potential. How do you do it? In extraordinary ways. From the time you contact Fritz you’ll experience a 75-plus-year tradition of exceptional devotion to education, service and detail.

It’s here, at one of the top hospitality programs in the world, where you’ll obtain the skills, knowledge and power to excel in hospitality.

We’re not just producing alumni—we’re pioneering powerhouses who can adapt to any situation in life. At Fritz, learning and growing is embedded in an unrivaled, high-touch environment in which you’ll thrive. Fritz is about accomplishments and experiences you never thought possible. It’s about becoming. We invest in our students, faculty, staff and community to help you unlock the extraordinary.

We don’t compete. We pioneer.

Industry

Hospitality industry professionals hire Fritz graduates for management positions because our students are experienced, reliable and trusted. They have learned from the industry’s best—a team of seasoned and tenured professionals.

By the time our students graduate, they have extensive work experience and have lived abroad so they can begin their careers in full stride to seize new opportunities or act on existing ones.

Invest in the Future of Hospitality

Support Fritz Knoebel as we climb to international prominence.

There is much about Fritz Knoebel to make us proud. Frequently ranked as one of the top hospitality schools in the nation, we have:

  • Assembled extraordinary resources—an innovative curriculum, world-class facilities and a business-savvy faculty.
  • Long-served as a training-ground for numerous, distinguished leaders in hospitality.
  • Received the highest mark of distinction in business education: accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
  • Graduated more than 3,400 students who have matriculated to companies and management positions all around the world.
  • Doubled its enrollment during the past 10 years and has continued on an upward trajectory.
  • Achieved an exceptional career placement record for the last several years who actively seek employment thanks to its extensive career development activities, industry ties and the many opportunities students have to build a professional network.

In 2014, the School’s strategic planning process produced a robust set of goals and a vision to, “Be bold. Do good. Change lives.” The faculty and staff of the School are extraordinary and provide an immersive, high touch, global educational experience that prepares students to responsibly lead in the business of hospitality. It is without a doubt that Fritz Knoebel has enhanced its role as one of the most prestigious hospitality schools in the country.

Our goals cannot be achieved without a strong investment from our community. As a private business college, Daniels must depend on substantial financial support from alumni, friends, parents, corporations and other stakeholders—not just to ensure success for the short term but to sustain excellence for the School’s future.

GIVE TODAY

Give to the Phelps Matching Fund

To begin building a lifelong relationship with their alma mater, young alumni should get involved within the first five years after graduation, says Nick Phelps (BSBA 2009). His commitment to the idea runs so deeply that he made a gift to the University of Denver that could help spur others’ involvement.

Phelps’ multi-year gift to Fritz Knoebel carries with it a challenge to other alums to invest as well. His gift will match those of fellow Fritz Knoebel alumni, encouraging their involvement while meeting the school’s most urgent needs.

Phelps is a pioneer in every sense of the word. After graduating, Phelps and his business partner, Jason Lundberg (BSAC 2010), launched From the Farmer, a Washington, D.C., based company that provided home delivery of fresh, locally sourced produce. Initially, they worked out of Phelps’ mother’s garage to sort and deliver produce to about 30 customers. They grew the business from two guys in a garage to 40 employees, eventually serving 4,000 people in the NYC, Maryland, Virginia and D.C. areas. The company revealed Phelps’ roots in the hospitality field, passion for service and entrepreneurial mindset.

Phelps sold the company, relocating back to Colorado. Nick is now enjoying a career with Cultivate Advisors. As an advisor, he partners with small business owners and CEOs, ranging from solopreneurs to multi-million dollar companies with hundreds of employees, to help them navigate the challenges of growth, scale, and fulfillment.

Phelps’ philanthropic investment in DU reflects the same commitment to service and connection, and his passion has strong roots in his time as a student. In Phelps’ view, a student’s time on campus is the first and shortest step in a lifelong relationship with the University. He likens it to a climbing wall, with the first pitch being the first job after college, and every following step is a new opportunity to relate to the university where the climb began.

With the University where it is today, he believes this is the perfect opportunity for DU to expand its reach and connect even more purposefully with alumni. Phelps says, “The best thing we can do to increase the value of our degree is to ensure that the next generation is better than we were.”

GIVE TODAY

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