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Robert Riedel receives honorary degree at
Florida Southern College commencement ceremony

LAKELAND, Fla. (Dec. 5, 2001) - Robert Arthur Riedel, member of the faculty of the Dedman School of Hospitality at the Florida State University, will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Business during Florida Southern College's commencement ceremony Dec. 15.

A 1947 graduate of Florida Southern, Riedel is being recognized for his years of service and leadership in the hospitality industry.

Riedel's career included service in all the elective chairs of the Florida Hotel and Motel Association and the Florida Restaurant Association, and the presidency of the American Hotel and Motel Association, both subsidiaries of that association, the Educational Institute, and the American Hotel Foundation.

The American Hotel and Motel Association awarded Riedel with its prestigious Arthur Landstreet Steuben "Excalibur" Award for exceptional merit on behalf of hospitality education. He was named recipient of the 2001 Paul Brown Award for Distinguished Service to Hospitality Education, recognizing his initiation of the Florida State University Summer Hospitality Academy.

Dr. Thomas L. Reuschling, president of FSC, stated, "Robert Riedel's energy and talent have benefited thousands of individuals by broadening educational and career opportunities in the field and by advancing the state and nation's hospitality industries. Florida Southern is proud to confer this honorary degree on a most deserving graduate."

About Florida Southern College
Florida Southern is a four-year, private, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and a master of business administration degree accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Located in Lakeland, Fla., the college is home to the largest, single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world.

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