In hotels, there are chefs who started their careers as asset managers. At hotel consulting firms, there are asset managers who started their careers as chefs. At the hotel brands, there are CEOs who started their careers as dishwashers. It’s clear: the hospitality industry can be the very embodiment of the American Dream.
What role, then, do schools have? What are their place for educating students who aspire to attain these lofty positions? It turns out, there are graduates of university and graduate school hospitality programs who also made their way up, step-by-step.
Hospitality curricula are sometimes seen as a set of never-changing classes and exercises that are always behind the times. But that’s not fair. In fact, academic directors and faculty are in general always searching for ways to prepare students to thrive in their careers. To be sure, academic achievement will never compete for the allure and emotional punch of the American Dream, but it is entirely possible, given a certain amount of hard work and some magic, to offer refined curriculum, to work with students, and to help launch them on their career paths.
Universities must always strike a balance between the interests of students on the one hand and industry on the other, then integrate the mix with the skills and experience of academics. Faculty and administrators must engage and satisfy shifting audiences, sometimes with goals that are not fully aligned. Of course, the conversations start with the students, but professors must meet standards of curriculum rigor and engage in meaningful research. Donors and alumni can tilt the landscape with their objectives and, importantly, employers send recruiters to the schools that are preparing the students and skipping schools that are not sending students ready to succeed. To be sure, academics have their own views on topics to be addressed, sometimes in ways that may not resonate with students.
At the root of the academic courses, there are the fundamental topics of hospitality, notably the foundations of economic relationships and courses in operations, finance, marketing and law. The courses typically blend essential elements, dispassionate analysis and team projects that mimic the realities of the workplace. Maybe unlike other specialized disciplines found in universities, the notion of a hotelier evokes a deep well of tradition. Extracurricular events and tours are designed to introduce and reinforce the passion so prevalent in the industry. As an elusive goal that is far harder to predict or generate, the school campus and classroom experience offer students a sense of place, pride and community, along with the typical fun and exploration associated with campus life.
Students have different styles to learn and professors bring different strengths to their tasks to teach. Professors can inhabit the classic model of a tenure-track position with Ph.D. credentials and voluminous research contributions of books and publications. Then, there are professors who come to the classroom with experience in the field and a notable portfolio of success in the industry. Some teachers may stay with traditional lectures and slides. For others, they find effective teaching in seminar-style courses, where students are engaged in conversations with industry experts.
The campus remains a place where students are tasked to acquire the requisite skills from studies in the classroom, then tested in exams. It is now common that students are offered soft skills that can be nuanced, yet are profoundly important in the workplace. Effective communication, empathy, leadership and integrity can be difficult to teach, but worthy of best efforts. Students need to navigate enormous financial stress, often facing loans to pay tuition and scant access to funds. Students face emotional and physical challenges, sometimes accompanied with alcohol or substance abuse. Health and wellness are now on the slate of help that is readily available for students.
The success of academic institutions can be simply and starkly measured in the school ranking and in the metrics of the percentage of students finding jobs in the field. The ultimate success of alumni is used as a measure, along with financial donations and school endowment. At the same time, the student trained as an asset manager who then finds a rewarding career as a chef is a satisfying result. That student had access to courses, which offered base skills and supported any number of eventual career choices.
It is not just an academic cycle to be automatically repeated. Instead, the programming is, or should be, put to examination, tested for effectiveness, evaluated by the students and employers, then revisited and revised. Over time, there are core competencies that remain firmly in place and new topics to discuss. Topics like data security, employment rights and international development are now routinely taught. During the pandemic era, there were new issues to address in guest and worker privacy, while at the same time trying to learn to teach remotely. For a time, bankruptcy and assets in distress needed to be addressed.
When the students and schools are in sync, the rewards are rich. Students graduate and then beat a path on their journey. There are students who remember the kindnesses received in school and then pay it forward. There are employers who continue to recruit the next group of students. Though there is enormous satisfaction in delivering content, it is also profoundly gratifying to watch students starting their careers and sending thank you notes and updated photos of their families. Maybe there is a pause at graduation and a chance to celebrate, followed by the next series of questions and challenges to tackle.
Steven Shapiro directs the Hospitality & Tourism Law program at the American University Washington College of Law and teaches graduate hospitality students in France and Switzerland. He can be reached at steven.shapiro@wcl.american.edu.