Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration’s Strategic Plan
2005 – 2008
Preamble
The Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration is one of the leading hospitality programs in the United States. Over its thirty-two years, the School has served a wide variety of students, traditional and non-traditional. The School has always fostered a strong relationship with various segments of the hospitality industry. These relationships have been instrumental to the School in recruiting students, keeping course content relevant and up-to-date through guest lectures and on-site visits and in helping the School’s students with job placement ranging from internships to positions upon graduation. Partnerships with the industry have also resulted in numerous professional development programs conducted by the School and opportunities for the School to provide service to the profession.
The next three years will be pivotal years for the School of Hospitality. The industry is experiencing a significant positive economic rebound. The city of Atlanta is in a revitalization, branding phase. With the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola and numerous new restaurants and hotels planned for the Centennial Park area, the epicenter of the hospitality industry will be less than five blocks from the School’s location.
The next three years will also be crucial for the School in that the ACPHA re-accreditation is scheduled to occur in 2007 and Georgia State’s program review will be held in late 2006 or early 2007. Following this time period, another big event happens for the School with International CHRIE being held in Atlanta in 2008 – twenty years since the last CHRIE conference was held in this city.
Mission
The Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration is committed to academic excellence in the development of students for leadership roles in the hospitality and tourism industry. We prepare students for such positions by pursuing ethical, innovative and value-enhancing strategies in a culturally diverse and technologically advanced world. We serve our local, regional, national and international constituencies through research, teaching and outreach activities. The School achieves its mission by offering a relevant, up-to-date curriculum in a teaching and learning environment that emphasizes continuous improvement.
Core Values
The core values of the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality are:
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Excellence – We are committed to continual quality improvement and strive to be the best in everything we do.
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Commitment to a service-oriented focus – We embrace the principles of quality service being vital to every facet of the hospitality industry and are committed to integrating quality service into all hospitality courses as well as in our interactions with students, staff, faculty and external constituencies.
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Integrity - We are truthful, fair and accountable at all times.
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Life-Long Learning - We are committed to contributing to the development of hospitality professionals at all career stages
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Partnership – The numerous partnerships with industry and professional associations distinguish our program in providing a real-life learning environment that extends beyond the classroom walls.
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Innovation – We encourage and support new ideas and recognize that creativity is a crucial leadership component for the dynamic hospitality industry.
Strengths
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Accreditation in ACPHA (Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration
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Known to be a quality program – Feedback from recruiters and industry contacts is consistently positive regarding the quality of students and graduates
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One of the nation’s top-ranked hospitality programs (13th overall; 12th in public institutions)
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The largest, oldest and only accredited program in Georgia
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The only four-year hospitality program in Georgia other than Georgia Southern located in Statesboro
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The Robinson College of Business is known for quality programs and students. While academically challenging, graduates are prepared to compete in the business world.
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A faculty (full-time and part-time) that is well known and respected nationally in their areas of specialization. All faculty have strong industry experience and continue active roles in professional associations, in professional development programs and through industry consulting roles.
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A strong administrative support staff for the School
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The Cecil B. Day Endowment allows the School to fund special activities and projects.
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Professional development programs with the industry such as CMAA’s Business Management Institute I, Certification Review Course; the Hotel Investment Conference
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The curriculum emphasizes a comprehensive approach in business and hospitality with specialization areas provided through elective courses.
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Downtown location is near many hospitality businesses, major conference centers and corporate headquarters in the metro-Atlanta area
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Atlanta, Georgia State University, the Robinson College of Business and the School of Hospitality have significant visibility nationally and internationally.
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The School has tremendous growth potential in being located in the economic, cultural and international center of the Southeast.
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Atlanta’s hospitality industry has been supportive of the School through involvement in various ways: involvement on the School’s Industry Board, serving as guest lecturers or hosting classes for on-site visits of their companies, serving as mentors for hospitality students, providing employment including internships and placement upon graduation.
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The School gained international visibility with the Ghana Tourism Development Project as well as the School’s study abroad program conducted in spring 2004 and spring 2005.
Weaknesses
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While undergraduate credit hours for hospitality courses have significantly grown over the last four years, the number of undergraduate majors remains flat.
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The hospitality MBA concentration has struggled with low enrollment since the first graduate hospitality course was taught in 2002.
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No dedicated classrooms on campus or practical laboratories including the food lab and computer labs. This lack in physical resources results in inadequate learning environments.
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Limited financial support from the hospitality industry except for the Cecil B. Day Foundation Endowment.
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