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!  

The Real Impact of Internationalization

This fall we will have 450 international students studying here at CSUSM representing 40 countries around the world, most notably China, Korea, Japan, Norway, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. As education standards are rising globally, there is more interest and demand for higher education in virtually every country around the world  - http://blog.euromonitor.com/2014/06/the-top-5-trends-in-higher-education-globally.html 

Despite this fact, I am often asked why a public university like ours continues to admit international students:  is this contrary to our mission of ‘expanding student access to an excellent and affordable education?’

You may find the answer startling.

According to the California Colleges for International Education, “ it takes roughly 4 international students to open a section, thereby making it possible for another 30 more California students to receive college instruction.”  The bottom line is that the influx of international students allows us to better serve domestic students by offering more programs and additional sections of existing programs, to help mitigate the issues raised by impacted classes and programs.

Because international students do not qualify for government aid and most pay their own way, they bring into the U.S. literally billions of dollars each year to cover tuition, housing, food and other expenses.

But these are the dollar and cent issues. The biggest impact I see is in the lives of our students and faculty who are learning together and exploring issues from a truly global perspective.

When students from China, Saudi Arabia and Norway are engaged in a project with students from the United States, they have an opportunity to think about preconceptions, biases, and assumptions they may have never considered. I recently watched a discussion among international students regarding the roles and responsibilities of public service agencies in working with displaced populations such as refugees and immigrants. Conversations like these are where real learning occurs.

What do you think about the internationalization of our campus? To see what some of our international students think, view https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BQNLVbeNpA

I look forward to your comments; please feel free to email me at eldean@csusm.edu

The Importance of Global Education

A few weeks ago I started re-reading a book that really resonated with me, Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat a Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.  In my role as Associate Vice President of Global Programs here at CSUSM I’ve been thinking a lot about why a global perspective is important for our students and how it sets them up for future success.

Friedman’s perspective is that the 21^st century we inhabit operates on a more of a level global playing field than ever before in terms of business and commerce…and I would argue in terms of higher education opportunities as well.  Friedman suggests that geography is no longer necessarily a driver or detractor to personal success; that a continual updating of skills, healthy curiosity and empathy and a willingness to learn and adapt are the keys that distinguish winners.

As our students are studying and working abroad, I am witnessing this trend firsthand and see how opportunities for global learning are transforming and enriching their lives.

For the past two years we’ve had a group of students travel to Ecuador www.csusm.edu/global/studyabroad/ecuador.html to study medical anthropology with Dr. Bonnie Bade, department chair and professor of Anthropology. These students live in indigenous communities and visit hospitals and clinics where they witness and practice both traditional and clinical medicine. They learn, for example, about medical ethno botany from Quechua farmers.  Bonnie tells me that, “our students learn about other ways of thinking, doing and being. They think about new ways or relating to the environment and creating community. It opens their minds.”

The chair of our nursing department, Dr. Denise Boren takes nursing students to Swaziland each year to see patients in clinics and homes and learn about the issues that impact healthcare delivery in southern Africa.  Nursing instructor Lien Ngo-Nguyen took a group of nurses to work in Vietnam this past summer.  And, for the past several years we’ve sponsored a group of students who have visited a non-adopting orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to observe biological, sociological and psychological factors that foster or inhibit human development. They come into the situation with a specific set of assumptions based on an American perspective and consistently report that the experience is “life changing.”

These are just a few examples of international learning and service opportunities http://www.csusm.edu/global available to CSUSM students.  Stay tuned as we continue to develop new programs that expand global awareness, insight and perspective. I enjoy hearing from you and hope you will feel free to email me at eldean@csusm.edu.