Directors’ Welcome

Welcome to the Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship (PIHE), the home for entrepreneurial thought leadership in the hospitality industry. We invite you to be part of our mission to engage leading industry experts and faculty to educate students and provide them with experiential opportunities to learn all aspects of entrepreneurship.

We are committed to helping students explore every facet of hospitality entrepreneurship—from ideation to execution. As the hospitality industry’s preeminent hub for entrepreneurship, we advance both students and industry leaders through our core pillars:

Engagement: We foster meaningful engagement among students, faculty, alumni, and the entrepreneurial community—at Cornell and beyond.

Experiential learning: We create innovative opportunities for students to apply classroom learning in real-world settings, gaining valuable hospitality entrepreneurial experience.

Education: We educate students and alumni interested in operating an enterprise in the hospitality industry, providing the knowledge, tools, and support needed for students and alumni to launch, lead, and grow ventures.

Let’s empower the next generation of hospitality entrepreneurs together!

Christina McDowell, Ph.D.
Director