As the University of South Carolina’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management celebrates its first quarter century, Dean Emerita Pat Moody has a unique perspective. Among other things, she is the reason the college has its name.

Moody was named dean of what was then known as the College of Applied Professions in 1998 after serving as a faculty member and department chair. She saw the potential in the college, but also saw that the name was holding it back.

“It didn't really say that we were. We had some of the most important programs for the state, like tourism, for example, and nobody knew we even had them,” she recalls. “My goal was to elevate the college and to expose to the public who we were, who we are. The college has always done great things and helped all kinds of students, but it was like the light was hidden under the bushel. So we searched around for names and went with hospitality, retail and sport management. I might have made an executive decision. I don't remember how we actually chose it, but it represented who we are, and it stuck.”

The college was housed primarily in the Carolina Coliseum in those days. Not designed as a classroom hub, the building had its quirks, including classrooms chilled by the ice rink overhead and lectures disrupted by musicians like John Mayer and the Zac Brown Band rehearsing.

“I was just happy to be there because I loved the college from the very beginning. And the fact that we didn't have windows didn't bother me. You get used to it,” Moody says.

With the College of HRSM name in place, Moody would preside over McCutchen House becoming part of the college as a learning lab for hospitality management students. She led a successful effort to raise more than $100,000 to renovate the former faculty home.

“It was going to close as a faculty house and I don't think they really had a plan for it. We talked to the provost at the time, Jerry Odom, who was a great supporter of our college. We couldn't have done what we did without his help,” Moody recalls. “He talked to the president for us, and they gave it to us. It gave us a presence on the Horseshoe, which was very important. It gave our students a better laboratory, much better equipment and a much better facility. It opened us up to the public because they loved to come and eat lunch with the students, and, of course, it gave us the facility to have our fabulous parties that we're known for.”

Moody has many fond memories of her time as HRSM’s leader.

“I'll always remember Dean Varney [The late Harry E. ‘Sid’ Varney was Moody’s predecessor as dean and brought her to the college].He was a character, and he fought hard for the college and helped it survive in the early years and progress. He was always very good to me,” she says.

“We started international trips and we went to China and  took the president and the provost with us. Being on the Great Wall with the president is a fond memory. We did our garnet jacket golf tournament. It wasn't at all about golf. It was about visibility,” she says, a common theme in her tenure, matching her goal to raise the college’s profile.

“Mike Collins was our board chairman. Mike is an international marketer, and he just did phenomenal things to get the college the visibility that we needed. Roy Pearce was a real champion of our college and his family as a whole did a lot for us. I remember being in a meeting with the provost when Roy was beating on the table, saying ‘We’ve got to get the people out of the basement of the gym!’” she says.

“The board was extremely helpful to us. We had people like Bobby Williams of Lizard’s Thicket, Bert Pooser and Jimmy Richardson. We didn't really want advice. We wanted influence. They gave us that, and they helped us tremendously in the beginning when we were trying to get HRSM off the ground,” Moody recalls.

Moody retired as dean in 2007 and was appointed distinguished professor emerita and dean emerita. Under her leadership, the college’s student body grew from 1,200 to 1,850, and master’s degree programs were added in retailing and sport and entertainment management, and groundwork laid for Ph.D. programs in hospitality management and sport and entertainment management. She won the college more than $300,000 in grants for student scholarships.

She has remained very much involved with HRSM since retiring. The Patricia G. Moody Distinguished Researcher and Scholar Award is given in her honor each year, and her son Michael is a professor in the Department of Retailing. She sits on current Dean Michael Sagas’ advisory board and continues to contribute in many ways, including fundraising and building and maintaining relationships between the college and its alumni and other supporters. She has no intention of stopping.

“They’d probably have to dynamite me out to get me out,” she says. “I just love this college. It’s  a great family oriented place. It's like coming home to me and to other people. I'll always want to be a part of it. I know a lot of people love it. I don't think anybody loves it more than I do. It means home. It just feels like home.”