Hospitality is truly a global industry, accounting for more than 10% of the worldwide GDP. It is one of the world's fastest-growing industries, and encompasses travel, tourism, lodging, foodservice, meeting and convention services, and managed services for clubs and institutions. In the United States alone, hospitality accounted for a $1.3 trillion dollars in sales; hospitality-related businesses provided more than 13.6 million jobs nationwide. In California, hospitality accounts for more than 5% of the state GDP and provides jobs for approximately 10% of the workforce.
Despite the current economic downturn, operators in all sectors of the industry are pursuing expansion, thereby increasing the demand for qualified managers. Meanwhile, advances in technology and the widespread adoption of management principles have raised expectations for managers. This combination of continued growth and increasing sophistication has created a shortfall in qualified entry- level hospitality managers that shows no signs of abating. As the industry continues to advance in capability, employers increasingly are turning toward candidates with Bachelor's or advanced degrees and industry expertise.
The number of hospitality management openings in California has been estimated at over 50,000 per
year. However, in the 2008 academic year, the 14 CSU hospitality management education programs
produced less than 1,000 graduates. By leveraging the efforts of program administrators and faculty,
forging alliances with industry leaders, and raising public awareness about CSU hospitality management
education programs, the CSU will not only significantly enhance the quality of its programs, it will also be
strategically placed to meet the industry's pressing need for qualified hospitality managers by attracting
the most highly motivated students in the field.
The importance of hospitality management education and the growing need for CSU graduates came to light in the November 2004 CSU Industry Impact study (http://calstate.edu/impact/tourism.shtml). In June of 2005, hospitality program directors, industry leaders, and faculty members convened to make recommendations about how the CSU might better meet the needs of the industry. In June of 2008, the CSU Chancellor commissioned the HMEI to conduct further research on ways to implement those recommendations.
Informed by ongoing research and the 2005 recommendations, the primary objectives of the HMEI are:
To establish a Chancellor's Hospitality Industry Advisory Board consisting of senior executives from leading organizations in key hospitality-industry sectors within California.
The Advisory Board will meet with the Chancellor each year to discuss industry needs, developments, and opportunities to advance hospitality education statewide. The Board will provide a forum for direct collaboration between industry leaders and the CSU.
To establish a CSU Hospitality Education Leadership Committee consisting of leaders from each CSU hospitality management program.
The Leadership Committee will meet annually with the Chancellor to discuss curriculum, best practices, and educational opportunities for students, faculty, and industry professionals. This committee will provide a forum for mutual support and the exchange of ideas among program leaders.
To conduct a public relations campaign that raises awareness about: (a) High-level career opportunities in hospitality; and (b) the full range of CSU hospitality management programs. This campaign will include a social-media outreach effort that will generate electronic "word-of-mouth" to attract visitors to the site by taking advantage of existing social-networking Web sites such as YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Andrew (Andy) Hale Feinstein is the CSU Director of Hospitality Management
Education. He holds BS and MS degrees in Hotel Administration from the
University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and received his PhD. from The
Pennsylvania State University. Andy is also the Dean of the Collins College of
Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona.
