Opening Doors to Hospitality & Tourism Management

Hospitality is a way of life here in San Diego and Southwest Riverside counties, directly or indirectly employing 173,000 area residents.  The San Diego Tourism Authority is projected a record year for tourism in in San Diego in 2015 -- $9.9 billion in visitor spending, 34 million visitors and $266 million in transient occupancy tax contributions to San Diego County city governments.  We believe they hit their mark.  (In San Diego County alone, one in eight jobs is currently tourism related.)

This past year we’ve launched several programs to meet the educational and training needs of people at every level of the organization including those seeking to identify their niche in the field and those seeking senior-level certification or a specialized MBA.

What’s unique is that each of these programs was developed in partnership with industry and many classes are taught by leaders in the field so they address the needs identified by those who are at the forefront. There’s also an applied or practicum component where students have the opportunity to put their learning to use in the field.

The “Professional Certificate in the Business of Hospitality”  is designed for those who are considering a career in the field or seeking to understand their growing role in the field.  This non-credit program gives participants an overview of all key functional areas from finance and HR to operations and customer service.  The full certificate incorporates seven topic areas of study. “This program is a great example of the University’s commitment to meeting the needs of North County’s hospitality sector, “ says Doug Yavanian, Community Relations Liaison at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa who is also a member of the CSU Alumni Council, Chancellor’s Hospitality Advisory Board and CSUSM Hospitality Advisory Board.

A specialization in Hospitality & Tourism Management is also available as part of the MBA program.  Alternatively, students can also choose individual credit-based courses from the MBA curriculum or they can complete a set of six predetermined graduate level courses to receive an “Advanced Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism Management. “ Courses being offered this spring include Hospitality Revenue Management and Employment Best Practices.

Ed Fuller an internationally known leader, educator and author who formerly served as president and managing director of Marriott International says, “this is the perfect combination, uniting the strength of the university’s MBA program wish the need of the expanding hospitality industry.”

On Saturday April 1 we will be joining forces with the San Diego North Economic Development Council to host a Connected Tourism Summit on campus from 7 am – 2 pm featuring industry speakers and panels, as well as a career fair. This event is open to the public with reservations required. Please call 760-750-4004 to learn more.

Do you have ideas about professional development certificates or degrees we ought to be investigating?  If so, please reach out to me at eldean@csusm.edu . Thank you!  

What are the connections needed to move our region forward?

I've always thought of “knowledge” as an engine that drives innovation, individual and corporate successes and economic prosperity.  And, I believe that public universities like ours have a responsibility – really a mandate from taxpayers, as well as area residents and businesses -- to partner with industry to serve the educational and training needs of existing and emerging sectors and to help ensure successful career pathways.

For the past several years we have developed some great “customized training” programs for organizations such as Kaiser Permanente, Stone Brewing Company and Tri -City Medical Center  -- providing the training that helps facilitate career growth for thousands of employees and offering certificates that articulate achievement in disciplines such as Supervising Employees and Human Resource  Management (http://www.csusm.edu/el/customtraining/index.html).

We've also established Advisory Councils to offer leadership, insight and counsel as we develop programs in Cybersecurity, Water Resource Management, Business Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Leadership and Hospitality and Tourism Management. Our Advisory Council members understand their respective business sectors as only an insider could. They help us create meaningful programs, teach courses, offer internships and practicums and establish/monitor curriculum and teaching strategies to ensure our students have a competitive advantage.  

Our Hospitality and Tourism Management advisors helped us develop a unique specialization for the MBA program that launches later this year (www.csusm.edu/mba/samba/index.html) and they’re also helping us develop a “Business of Hospitality” Professional Certificate. Industry leaders in Cybersecurity have been the driving force for an emerging Professional Science Master’s degree in this field (www.csusm.edu/el/degreeprograms/psmcybersecurity/index.html) as well as stackable certificates.

We’re reaching out to elected officials, regional business leaders and existing and prospective students to ensure that we are making the connections necessary to stay on top of career opportunities and bridge the gap between the skills that area residents have today and the knowledge base that regional employers currently have and will develop in the next few years.

Do you have an idea for a new program, partnership or area of study we ought to pursue? I’d love to hear from you at eldean@csusm.edu.

Looking Ahead.....

As we start looking ahead towards the new year, I am very excited about the opportunities I see and the direction that higher education is heading. 

I have spent a fair amount of time this past year meeting with and surveying key stakeholders in our region and internationally including current and prospective students at different stages of their career life cycle ---  as well as business and civic leaders and the deans and presidents of neighboring colleges and universities. The one message that has been clear is that we need to “think outside of the box” and create partnerships and alliances that serve a greater good.

To that end we have worked together with the City of Temecula and Mt San Jacinto College to create a “2+2” program that enables students in southwest Riverside county to start and finish a Bachelor’s degree in four years with low student-to-faculty ratios and locked tuition and fees. We have worked with local hoteliers in San Diego county to create a Hospitality and Tourism Management certificate as well a specialization within our MBA program. We have worked with local cyber security firms to develop a Professional Science Master’s in Cyber security..,, and the list goes on and on.

To support continued growth we have brought on Dr. Al Kern as interim Associate Dean and Lori Covington as Manager of Academic Programs. Dr. Kern founded the biotechnology programs here at CSUSM and has had an extremely successful career in biotech both regionally and internationally. Lori was previously at Mesa College where she was responsible for accreditation; grant writing, management and creation of successful Continuing Ed programs and Allied Health. 

I am focused on staying attuned to the work force needs of our Southern California region, both from the perspective of prospective students who are looking to advance or change careers and from the perspective of area businesses who are looking to hire a well trained workforce.  Do you have thoughts or ideas about programs or partnerships we ought to consider? Please feel free to email me at eldean@csusm.edu. I look forward to hearing from you.