Below you will find the response to the Planning and Review Committee’s recommendations completed by the program director, department chair, and the dean’s office.
Recommendations for the Program Director
- Continue to explore and address enrollment issues through the assessment and recruitment process.
- Continue work to create a laboratory experience outside the restaurant track and encourage professional development of staff and faculty in those areas. Specifically, develop gaming and lodging laboratories to provide students hands-on experiences in those areas.
Response
Upon receipt of funds, we will focus on those two areas. Our lodging area also needs a faculty member to replace a retiring lodging professor. While we have a lodging lab currently, it is outdated and underutilized. - In cooperation with the PRC, conduct an on-campus student survey in the Fall of 2007 along with the review of the usual 1-year and 3-year follow-up alumni surveys at that time to monitor improvements to the program regarding the student concerns found in the Fall 2004 surveys. (The Fall 2004 survey results will be kept so that comparison may be made.)
Response
We will do this. It should be noted that the comment made in “Issue of Concern” number 4 has been addressed, as the “Front Office” course and the “Housekeeping” course were combined into a new course in 2003 entitled, “Lodging Operations.”
Response
Enrollment is up 28% from last year through the May 2nd report. The 2005 student assessment shows, when compared to 2004, of the 25 categories assessed, 19 improved, 4 stayed the same and only 2 declined. We will continue to strive to achieve similar results.Recommendations for the Hospitality and Tourism Department Chair
- Continue to support the program revisions that will update the major and provide students with more flexibility.
Response
The department will continue to support the program and is in the process of revising courses to deliver the updated program. This will provide the students with wider selectives in the program along with greater flexibility. The department chair and program director work closely together to schedule an array of courses each semester that will meet the needs of the program and its students. - Consult with instructors of selected courses regarding attention to diversity issues.
Response
Diversity issues are discussed across the HRTM curriculum in courses such as Introduction to Hospitality, Lodging Systems, Introduction to Tourism, Hospitality Organization Management and Hospitality Management Strategies as examples. The department chair will continue to work with faculty and staff to ensure that diversity issues are integrated in HRTM courses.
Recommendations for the Dean of the College of Human Development
- Replace retiring faculty with tenure track faculty.
Response
The department is currently in the process of a search for a tenure track faculty in lodging for a spring 2006 start date. The college will continue to support replacing retiring faculty with tenure tack faculty with significant industry experience. With several faculty and staff nearing retirement, it is essential that we search for and hire top quality faculty with new and more contemporary expertise to fill the vacancies. - Provide funding and support for the gaming and lodging labs.
Response
The college recently purchased two gaming tables at a cost of $18,169. Over the past several years two lab mod proposals for a gaming lab were submitted but the proposals were not funded because an adequate space was not identified. The college has recently requested rooms 345, 345A and 347 in the Home Economics building for a new gaming lab to the Campus Planner. These rooms are currently listed as inactive on the university space audit and could become functional with a minimum investment in remodeling. If this location is not approved, the college will continue to seek a space for the gaming lab as a priority in its facilities agenda.
The college will also assist the Hospitality & Tourism Department in its efforts to upgrade the lodging lab recognizing that the current lab is very outdated. The new lodging faculty member that will be hired will be involved in designing a new lodging laboratory. The current lodging faculty have been discussing equipment and space needs with the program director and department chair. At the college level, discussions have occurred regarding the possibility of locating a new lodging lab on the second floor of McCalmont, where a lodging environment can be created with the guests who use the housing facilities with SVRI. Minimal investment in equipment would be required to create this lab, which could render a real-life working experience. -
Provide support for the program’s efforts to increase enrollment.
Response
The college has been very supportive of the new program director and applauds his efforts, which have resulted in a 27% increase in freshmen enrollment. The college will continue to support the program director’s initiatives in the area of recruitment, and also in the area of student retention.