With the addition of the Hospitality & Tourism Management major this semester, the School of Business looks to set up these new majors for success by creating internship programs with companies in the area while also growing the student base.

Fall 2019 is the opening semester for the School of Business’ newest major. The major becomes number 14 for undergraduate majors in the School of Business.

There are not many Hospitality or Tourism Management programs in northeast Ohio, said Dr. Charles Campisi, Chair of the Sport & Hospitality Management departments & Associate Professor.

“Regionally, we are ahead of the game,” said Campisi

The administration is in the process of solidifying partnerships with companies in the Cleveland area to set up internship programs.

“We want to leverage the areas where we have expertise,” Campisi said. The companies and, in this case, professional sports organizations where the School of Business is looking to start programs include the “Indians, Browns, Westfield Group, and specifically Delaware North,” said Campisi.

While Sport Management and Hospitality & Tourism Management are similar and are often present at the same venue, their core focuses are different.

For an event, Sport Management would be more concerned with the actual sporting event, while Hospitality & Tourism Management would be concerned with “everything else surrounding the event, like the food and drinks” said Associate Professor Dr. R. Dale Sheptak Jr.

There are currently two students who have declared Hospitality & Tourism Management as their major.

One thing BW is doing to recruit students is reaching out to community colleges in the area and seeing if there are any students who have associate degrees that might want bachelor’s degrees, Campisi said. As the student base grows, the School of Business will have to have adjunct professors to accommodate.

Another part of this multi-billion dollar industry is the gaming part, or casinos, which are popular around the United States, but more recently becoming popular in Cleveland with the opening of the Jack Casino in 2012. These venues typically include a hotel, a focus on customer service and experience, and food and beverage components.

This is what the industry would call a “multi-platform experience in one location,” said Campisi.

The Hospitality & Tourism Management major is interdisciplinary between several other undergraduate majors in the School of Business.

This major “pairs well with Sport Management and Business for a double major and can provide a separator as you move into your career,” said Campisi.

Because there are not many programs like this in the Midwest, BW wants to train the people who want to get into the industry in our region.

More events are coming to the area, for example, the MLB All-Star game this past summer.