Hotel Nikko’s Manager In Training program, or MIT, was set up by an alumna just for MSU students. It offers a scholarship, job shadowing and housing at the property in San Francisco.

MIT molds Bears into professionals who have a grasp on all areas of hotel administration. It’s likely the only hotel in the country with such a program.

In April 2021, Tyler Armer was a month away from graduation and didn’t have a job.

While many College of Business students have positions lined up before commencement, the entertainment management major was in an industry that had been slammed by the pandemic.

The clock was ticking. Then he opened an email saying an executive committee from Hotel Nikko — a luxury hotel in downtown San Francisco — was in town, recruiting for the hotel’s Manager in

Training scholarship program, or MIT.

“San Francisco is my dream city,” he said. “It sounds like this is a really cool hotel. I was just like, ‘You know what? I don’t do hospitality. That’s not what my experience is, but this feels like a sign.’”

Fellow student Kylie Aulgur opened that same email and went to the meet and greet. Both of them landed a spot in the hotel’s innovative MIT program.

Alumna’s campus visit leads to program.

The Manager in Training scholarship program was started by alumna Anna Marie Presutti ’86, the general manager and vice president of Hotel Nikko.

In 2015, Presutti was invited to speak at the department of hospitality leadership. Presutti mentioned to the department head that she would like to start a scholarship.

“My initial thought was: How do we wipe out somebody’s debt?” Presutti said. “Then, as we started to dig deeper into that, we were like, ‘Well, maybe we can spread the wealth a little bit and offer opportunities.’ It’s just evolved from there.”

What evolved was a scholarship, learning opportunity and job training.

Students get to soak up knowledge.

Here is how MIT works: Selected students receive up to $7,500 in a scholarship for tuition and expenses.

The scholarship qualifies them to be part of the MIT program after graduation. They are eligible to apply their junior or senior year.

Once they graduate, Hotel Nikko relocates them to San Francisco.

The Bears receive free housing during the program, which lasts six to nine months. Initially the program was set up for a year, but it was condensed to nine months and some have completed it in six.

“Living in the hotel is a huge cost-saving perk, and it lets you save up for living in San Francisco, a place where things are not cheap,” Armer said.

The program helps them make an easy transition from Missouri to San Francisco.

“You don’t have to worry about housing,” Aulgur said. “You don’t have to worry if you’re going to have friends there.”

The MIT students then rotate between every department in the hotel, training under managers and job shadowing.

Students may shuffle between housekeeping, security, human resources, food and beverage, sales and more.

The Bears have one job: Be a sponge. Justin Chen is an MIT program graduate who works at Hotel Nikko as front office manager. He said the experience quickly broadened his knowledge.

“With MIT, you have an idea of how the hotel works and how every department works so you understand the whole operation, not just one area,” said Chen.

The recent graduates are paid a salary of $65,000 and receive one free meal per shift. With so few expenses, it’s a chance to save money or pay off loans — a huge help to young professionals, participants said.

When the program is over, the graduates are offered a job at the luxury hotel.

“You go through the program and at the end, you’ll be offered a management position. That’s security,” Aulgur said.

Many of the students discover a new passion at the hotel and end up wanting to work in a different area than they had initially expressed an interest in when they started the program, said Presutti.

Aside from wanting to give back to her alma mater, Presutti said the idea for this program was sparked because mid-level managers are the hardest positions to fill at the hotel.

This helps her fill a void, at an investment of about $120,000 per person.

Presutti said as far as she knows, they are the only hotel in the country with such a program.

“I think this is one of those programs that a lot of companies won’t touch because it is so expensive to do. But the outcome is, if we do it and they get it right, we end up with some really good people.”

It has been worth it, Presutti said.

Program teaches hard and soft skills

The concept of training in every department in a business is unique.

“Going through the program and forming relationships with everybody is one of the coolest things about MIT, and it makes each day a lot easier,” Armer said.

This perspective allows participants to understand how some mistakes can happen and how to communicate with other managers when issues arise, said Caroline Schautteet. She is a Belgium native and MIT graduate.

Schautteet said MIT was an amazing learning opportunity that allowed students to make mistakes without being afraid of serious repercussions.

“It’s a great opportunity for students who just come out of college. The moment you have a problem, they will never point fingers, they will help you solve the problem. It’s wonderful,” Schautteet said.

Being able to connect with every department and communicate across departments is invaluable, agreed Bryan Paige, another MIT graduate.

When you meet so many people on the property, you get a better understanding of the culture, too.

“There are about 10 employees who have been there since the hotel opened,” said Paige. “Most of the people have been there for 5, 10, 15 plus years. If I don’t know what I’m doing, I can lean on those guys. Everyone is very helpful and fun. We do a lot of things together. This is something I’ve never experienced working at any other job.”

The MIT program teaches you how to be flexible and mentally agile, Armer added.

While the graduates all touted aspects of the program, there was another huge perk — living in San Francisco.

“San Francisco is a big young-professional city,” Aulgur said. “I can’t even imagine where I would be if I didn’t come here because of all the growth I’ve gone through. I have changed for the better. I’ve come out of my shell. If you want to grow your career, but also want personal growth, this is the opportunity for you.”