Issues in the Future of Tourism & Hospitality Education

Pauline J. Sheldon

Roadmap

• An assessment of field so far• How can we excel?• Where do we belong?• Where is our strategic leadership?

Assessment of our History Almost half a century of tourism/hospitality programs

– Program Proliferation in BRIC’s and other developing countries– Consolidation in US, UK and other countries– Increasing focus on skills development– Industry is increasingly driving the curricula– Business of tourism seems to be overshadowing the non-business

aspects– Increasing dissection of the subject– Development of metrics – are they the right ones? Popularity of

outcomes-based education. – Shift in the profile of faculty– Much tourism knowledge transfer happening outside our schools in

other disciplines.

Grade book

• Skills transfer - A-• Performance with current metrics - B• Quantity of Journals & Publications - A-• Innovation of curriculum - D• Faculty Development - D+• Strategic Leadership of the field - F

Leadership in Tourism Educationis Sorely Needed

• What are the characteristics of leading educational institutions?

World Class Universities• Three complementary sets of factors at play in top universities:

– (a) a high concentration of talent (faculty and students), – (b) abundant resources to offer a rich learning environment

and to conduct advanced research, – (c) favorable governance features that encourage strategic

vision, innovation, and flexibility, unit-level decision making, minimal bureaucratic encumberance.

Characteristics of World ClassUniversities:

Supportive regulatory frameworkAutonomy

Academic FreedomLeadership teamStrategic Vision

Culture of Excellence

Public budgetEndowment

TuitionResearch grants

StudentsTeaching StaffResearchers

Internationalization

Concentration of Talent

Research Output

Favorable Governance

Abundant Resources

Source: Jamil Salmi, World Bank

Graduates

Tech Transfer

WCU

Unique Challenges of Tourism/Hospitality

• Knowledge Creation vs. Human Capital Formation• Tribe “ reflective practitioner” • Bi-(Tri? Multi?) furcation of Tourism/Hospitality Studies?• Disciplinarity

– Business vs. non-business – Positive vs. Normative– “Free from the shackles of a discipline”

Projected Changes in Universities

Courses will vary in length; no more semesters

More interdisciplinary majors

Students will customize degrees

More university/corporate partnerships highly specialized certification programs

0% 50% 100%

less than 5 yrsmore than 5 yearsunlikelyDon't know

Source: The Economist, 2008

Other University Futures• No faculty/school affiliation (Bieger)• Raison d’Etre: research and assessment; teaching

outsourced – Relevance of knowledge sources?

• Virtual Education – Appropriate for technical/core courses– Inappropriate for critical thinking, innovation and transfer of

values.

• Corporations more connected with/own universities: is this the direction we want to go?

Faculty Issues• Who are we? more international; more diverse?• Where have we come from?

– Disciplinary background/Generation T– Geographically

• Are we engaged? Do our values mesh with those of the institution and the industry?

• Influence of senior faculty on junior• Multiple roles – often conflicting – more demands• Need new metrics of faculty success• Impact of removal of tenure

Where do we belong on campus?

• Is an autonomous School the right model?• The Business school connection …• Should we sub-divide the field of study or

coalesce?• Community Colleges/TAFE skills

development

The Way Forward for Excellence• A “Harvard” for tourism studies• An Institute for Leadership in Tourism Education • Reorganization on Campuses

– Tourism as umbrella unit for other disciplines e.g. School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology (SOEST)

– Skills to CC’s

• Measure improvement and innovation vs. accountability • New Metrics for Faculty• TEFI• The International Academy for the Study of Tourism

Current Institutional Leadership in Tourism Education• ATLAS• Association for Tourism and Hospitality Education (ATHE)• CAUTHE• CHRIE• THE-ICE• UNWTO – TedQual and Education and Science Council• International Society of Travel and Tourism Educators (ISTTE)• Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Education• Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism• The Academy of Hope• Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI)• The International Academy for the Study of Tourism

Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI)

• Re-vision tourism education• “TEFI seeks to provide vision, knowledge and a

framework for tourism education programs to promote global citizenship and optimism for a better world.” www.tourismeducationsummit.com

Some of the TEFI Family

TEFI ValuesStewardship

sustainability, responsibility, • service to the community

Mutuality diversity, inclusion,

equity, humility, collaboration

Knowledge critical thinking, innovation,

creativity, networking

Ethics honesty, transparency,

authenticity

Professionalism: leadership, practicality,

services, relevance, timeliness, reflexivity, teamwork,

pro-activity

Why Values?

Values-Based Tools• Student Oath• Faculty Code• Values Inventory Assessment tool• Ambassador Program• Pilot projects• White Paper with curriculum guidelines• Book of Values-Based Teaching Modules: BESTEN

Professional Oaths of Honor

• Modul University, Vienna Austria• Thunderbird University, Arizona

– “As a global citizen, I promise:I will strive to act with honesty and integrity, I will respect the rights and dignity of all people, I will strive to create sustainable prosperity worldwide, I will oppose all forms of corruption and exploitation, and I will take responsibility for my actions. As I hold true to these principles, it is my hope that I may enjoy an honorable reputation and peace of conscience. This pledge I make freely and upon my honor.”

Future TEFI Efforts• TEFI IV: “Tools for change and new uncertainties”

San Sebastian, Spain, April 15-18, 2010• 2011 TEFI World Congress: Activating Change in

Tourism Education, USA March 2011• Continued investigation of future challenges to Tourism

Education.

International Academy for the Study of Tourism (www.tourismscholars.org)

• “The Academy”: international organization created to enhance both theoretical and practical research in the field of tourism.– 75 Fellows: nomination process; profile– Changing from “old boys’” society to more open and diverse.– Promoting information about membership process and new members through

TRINET• “The goal of the Academy is to further the scholarly research and professional

investigation of tourism. Related objectives include: (a) encouraging the application of tourism research findings and (b) advancing the international diffusion and exchange of knowledge about tourism”

The Academy Fellows, Nominees and Emerging Scholars at 20th Anniversary Conference, Mallorca, Spain June 2009

A new publication from The AcademyGoodfellow Publishers March 2010

Tourism Research: a 20:20 visionEdited by

Douglas G Pearce & Richard W Butler

A new milestone collection of challenging and provocative contributions looking at the past,

present and future of tourism research

Derived from the 20th Anniversary meeting of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism with

contributions from leading international tourism scholars

ISBN: 978-1-906884-10-9Publication date: March 2010

Available as hardback, e-book and e-chapters

Special 15% discount available to CAUTHE delegates

Quote the code CAUTHE10 when placing your order at www.goodfellowpublishers.com

New Academy Responsibilities

• Responsibility to the field• Mentoring• Emerging Scholars• Links with other associations and conferences• Publications:

• Future Role in Leading Education

More work to do…

Look forward to your questions and joining you in creating new leadership

THANK YOU!

psheldon@hawaii.edu