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.

CSUSM Students and Faculty Serving A Community Need: Speech-Language Pathology and Nursing Clinics

By establishing free and low cost clinics for community members requiring healthcare services and speech therapy, our CSUSM students are taking advantage of unique opportunities to apply theory and coursework …and are making a significant impact outside of the classroom. We currently staff three nursing clinics in Ocean Beach and Oceanside and are preparing to open a new and expanded Speech Language Pathology clinic on July 7 off-campus in San Marcos.

The CSUSM School of Nursing Student Healthcare Project incorporates the three clinics in San Diego County, both of which are staffed by nursing faculty, volunteer providers, as well as graduate and undergraduate nursing students. The Project clinics provide free medical care for acute and chronic diseases, case management, social services, health promotion and education. Students apply the theory, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and nursing or nurse practitioner skills learned in their classrooms and skills labs to provide care to underserved, unsheltered, uninsured and under-insured residents of San Diego county.

At this time, funding for the community nursing clinics is derived solely from donations and grants. In 2013 the clinics served 1,947 patients and so far this year, more than 150 nursing students have served community clinic patients. Faculty are on track to donate more than 4,000 volunteer hours to staff and manage these nursing clinics.

You can learn more about the clinics here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-HS88TWvWY

Another dynamic program is our Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) clinic. For nearly five years we have been running a SLP clinic out of a dorm suite on campus and we are very excited to be expanding into a 1,600 square foot office space this summer. SLP students working in the clinical setting apply skills in assessment and treatment of individuals with a broad array of communication and swallowing disorders, relationship-based Intervention, counseling and aural rehabilitation. Students transition gradually from classroom instruction to clinic participation and their last semester is spent solely working at the clinic.

 

When we open our expanded SLP clinic in July, we will be providing services to individuals with stroke or traumatic brain injury completely free of charge throughout the summer months. Beginning in fall, we will provide low cost services on a sliding scale basis. Services like this are vital for those who run out of insurance or Medicare funding and still need therapy for voice and fluency disorders, deafness/hard of hearing or cleft palate. Click to learn more about Speech-Language Pathology at CSUSM.

Do you know someone who could benefit from our community clinics? Do you see other opportunities for us to be of service? Would you like CSUSM to consider developing or expanding a clinic in your community? To connect with us and share your voice, please visit us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter or email me at eldeanblog@csusm.edu.