I think hospitality has changed over the years
because it's become more inclusive. So when
we used to think about hospitality, we thought
more in silos, just hotels, just restaurants,
maybe just travel and tourism. But, I think
that the industry has grown to include more
things that are service driven, so we started
looking at airlines, we've looked at cruise
ships, events is another big service that
we've started adding more into hospitality.
So, I think what we've been able to do is
to think more globally about what hospitality
is and not just where those things are from.
Hospitality is such a global industry that
we need diversity so that our students not
only see themselves, but they can also see
what's actually happening out in the field.
So, when you think about hospitality, it's
one of the largest employers, not only in
the United States but worldwide. And so, a
lot of students, from an international standpoint,
will come here, get a great education, and
take those things back to their own country.
What's great about hospitality being so globalized,
is the things that we're doing here in our
programs are the same things that are happening
in other countries.
If you take a look at something like the Olympics,
to me that is really hospitality at its greatest.
And our students should manage it. Whether
it's the opening ceremony, whether it’s
feeding the athletes, or it's being intimately
involved with celebration of someone winning
a gold medal. To me, I sort of refer to it
as a mega industry. Our students have the
knowledge and the skills to be able to do
that. So to me, the mega industry is the future.
