Forty years ago, if you asked Rosen College founding Dean Abraham Pizam \u2014 another visionary \u2014 if 麻豆原创 would one day develop a world-renowned hospitality and tourism program, the answer would be yes. He saw what Disney saw, too: the incredible potential of Orlando.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/4\/files\/2023\/10\/Pegasus-Fa23-Feature-Rosen-1200x500-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
麻豆原创\u2019s then President Trevor Colbourn hired Pizam to establish a degree in hospitality management. Launched in 1983, the small program housed in 麻豆原创\u2019s College of Business<\/a> eventually evolved into Rosen College, which now ranks No. 1 nationally and in the top five internationally among hospitality and tourism programs, according to ShanghaiRanking<\/i>.<\/p>\n Pizam, a faculty member from the University of Massachusetts, was the ideal candidate for his range of expertise, including a doctoral degree in business and a hotel administration and tourism postdoctoral fellowship completed at Cornell University. Answering the call to join 麻豆原创 was a clear yes for him, as well as the faculty he hired.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I recruited these faculty members, the first thing I said was, \u2018Look at Orlando.\u2019\u201d Pizam says. \u201cIf this program was in a different location, we would not have been successful in creating such a great program and attracting such great faculty members \u2014 even myself.\u201d<\/p>\n The hospitality management program\u2019s first cohort included 70 students studying about a dozen courses taught by a handful of faculty. After three years, Pizam wanted to elevate the program to keep up with Orlando\u2019s demand for hospitality professionals. He knew food and beverage service courses were needed to prepare students for jobs across the many attractions, hotels and restaurants nearby. However, some members of the college\u2019s leadership team didn\u2019t see the value in expanding.<\/p>\n Without adequate faculty to teach and develop new curricula, the program struggled. And people noticed.<\/p>\n In 1998, an Orlando Sentinel article criticized 麻豆原创\u2019s \u201cless-than-stellar hospitality program\u201d and mentioned local industry leaders felt it was underperforming. The negative comments inspired philanthropist and hotelier Harris Rosen to donate to more than student scholarships \u2014 investing $18.2 million to not only bolster the program, but create a college around it.<\/p>\n Rosen approached 麻豆原创 with a proposal to build a resort-style campus near a property he was developing on Universal Boulevard. With matching state funding, he created and donated the campus to 麻豆原创, placing it in the heart of Orlando\u2019s hospitality and tourism industry, and next to his Rosen Shingle Creek resort.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Rosen has always been supportive. He continues to give thousands of dollars for student scholarships,\u201d Pizam says. \u201cThe friendship between me and Mr. Rosen [who is also a Cornell University graduate] increased over the years, and all three of his children graduated from Rosen College. Beyond his generous investments and support for students\u2019 success, that signaled he truly believes in the value of a Rosen College education.\u201d<\/p>\n When Rosen College opened in 2004, with Pizam as the founding dean, six instructors taught 250 students. The 159,000-square-foot campus now has 70 full-time faculty members, including international experts from 18 countries, teaching 3,000 students. With 18 high-tech classrooms, three test kitchens, two computer labs and a beer and wine lab, the college has extensive facilities to train students in just about every aspect of the industry.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very rare to find a hospitality and tourism college of this scale,\u201d says Rosen College Associate Dean and Visit Orlando Endowed Chair of Tourism Marketing Alan Fyall. \u201cThey tend to be small programs. They tend to be in business schools or colleges of social sciences. There are very few around the world that are standalone colleges of hospitality.\u201d<\/p>\n Fyall, a British native and former professor at Bournemouth University\u2019s School of Tourism, is one of Rosen College\u2019s international faculty members. After visiting for a presentation, he knew he wanted to join the college, which is a common result when experts come to campus.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody is awed by the campus and its beauty when they come here, which is great, but it\u2019s the people that make Rosen feel right,\u201d Fyall says. \u201cThat remains what makes us a leader. We have really good faculty members.\u201d<\/p>\n When the COVID-19 pandemic halted tourism around the world, hospitality programs were hit hard. Many reduced 20% to 50% in size and some even closed, according to Pizam.<\/p>\n Rosen College, however, only saw a 5% decline in enrollment.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen COVID hit, we got incredibly busy because so many people were out of work or furloughed, so they came to study,\u201d Fyall says.<\/p>\n He notes this was due to the same factors that contribute to Rosen\u2019s top rankings: its perfect location, extensive faculty research<\/a> and variety of students, instructors and degree programs.<\/p>\n Rosen College offers 22 degrees and certificates \u2014 including undergraduate and graduate offerings \u2014 for students to learn to how to manage food and beverage service, entertainment, events, finance, information technology, restaurants and more.<\/p>\n One of the newest degree offerings is event leadership, an online master\u2019s program<\/a> that prepares working professionals to take their careers to the next level. Selina Mullenax \u201912<\/strong>, an event management<\/a> alum and account executive with CORT Events, is part of the first cohort that launched last fall.<\/p>\n \u201cThe events industry has changed a lot in the past 10 years, into a niche all its own,\u201d says Mullenax, a member of the Rosen College Dean\u2019s Alumni Advisory Board. \u201cThere\u2019s an opportunity for people who want to lead the change. It\u2019s no surprise that 麻豆原创 is out in front.\u201d<\/p>\n Already a leader in her field, Mullenax says one of the biggest benefits of the program is the access to insight from Rosen alums across various industries.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I love about the program is we all come from different backgrounds,\u201d Mullenax says. \u201cThere\u2019s a restaurant owner in there. There\u2019s an entertainer who wants to open an entertainment company. There are obviously people from Universal Studios (and other theme parks). Sharing and learning about the differences in our experiences is my favorite part.\u201d<\/p>\n With 3.5 million jobs lost across the hospitality and tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Economic Policy Institute, the industry is in great need of talent \u2014 which is why career opportunities for Rosen College graduates are better than ever.<\/p>\n Both before and after the pandemic, nearly every Rosen College graduate has landed a job in their field. That\u2019s largely because students must complete at least three internships to earn their degree. To help them secure those valuable positions, the college leverages its connections with more than 800 companies to host many job and internship fairs, including Disney Days and Universal Days dedicated to each theme park giant.<\/p>\n Annually, Rosen College students earn about $14 million to $15 million through internship and co-op experiences, according to college leadership. Rosen College faculty and administration believe in the quality of their students and their contributions to these companies, and they recognize the value in return, which is why every internship is paid.<\/p>\n Josh Liebman \u201909 \u201912MS<\/strong> is among the Rosen College alums who credit these experiences and the college\u2019s curriculum with accelerating his career. He is a guest experience consultant for attractions, hospitality and tourism after starting his career working for Orlando\u2019s major theme parks.<\/p>\n As a teenager, Liebman says he fell in love with the thrill of roller coasters and chose to attend 麻豆原创 to learn more about theme parks. His interests broadened while earning a bachelor\u2019s in hospitality management<\/a> and he went on to pursue a master\u2019s degree in the field.<\/p>\n \u201c[As a graduate student], it was really interesting to be working full time \u2014 whether it was at Universal Studios or when I was opening Legoland \u2014 and being able to take these academic papers I was studying and say, \u2018OK, this is what research scholars say. Let\u2019s implement this here in our operations and with our guest experience.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n After completing his master\u2019s, Liebman attended a career fair where he met the owner of F&G Hospitality Consulting. Although he had only worked in theme parks at that point, he accepted a job at the company and entered the world of top-tier lodging brands like Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Today, Liebman runs a consulting business where he works with theme and amusement parks, zoos, museums, aquariums, family entertainment centers and short-term rentals to help amplify the guest experience and hospitality.<\/p>\n Long before Orlando became synonymous with theme parks and hospitality, Florida already had a strong reputation for tourism. Home to national parks \u2014 like the Everglades and Dry Tortugas \u2014 and beautiful beaches and springs, the Sunshine State\u2019s natural sites continue to attract millions of visitors annually<\/p>\n We can use the economic power of tourism to shape these coastal destinations, to turn them into restoration projects.\u201d<\/blockquote> \u2014 Sergio Alvarez, assistant professor of tourism, events and attractions<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cWe are lucky here in Florida. We can take advantage of those amenities to create an economy that is based around them,\u201d says Assistant Professor of Tourism, Events and Attractions Sergio Alvarez.<\/p>\n Alvarez is a natural resources economist who previously worked for the Florida Department of Agriculture. He\u2019s a member of the 麻豆原创 Coastal Faculty Cluster Initiative<\/a> and studies how to mitigate threats to coastlines and waterways. His work is an example of the unique interdisciplinary research that sets Rosen College apart from other hospitality programs and makes a broader difference across Florida \u2014 and even the world. In 2022, Alvarez was part of a team of 麻豆原创 researchers that presented at the United Nations Ocean Conference on the topic of sustainable coastal and marine tourism.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can use the economic power of tourism to shape these coastal destinations, to turn them into restoration projects in a similar way that theme parks reinvest some of their proceeds to upgrade their facilities or to build new ones,\u201d Alvarez says.<\/p>\n Among the solutions he and other 麻豆原创 Coastal experts are exploring is investing in solutions to promote stronger, healthier ecosystems.<\/p>\n Most of the sandy shores of Florida\u2019s beaches are manmade, with nearly $2 billion spent since 1935 on dredging sand from the bottom of the ocean to reverse erosion and create wider beaches, according to the National Beach Nourishment Database.<\/p>\n \u201cThe beach has a lot of life, but we could spend resources restoring marshlands, seagrass and mangroves that would be, in essence, more sustainable,\u201d Alvarez says. \u201cWe won\u2019t have to replant mangroves, [which help prevent erosion], over and over like we have to do with the beach.\u201d<\/p>\n Another major issue affecting Florida\u2019s coastal tourism is red tide, a harmful algal bloom that poses threats to people and animals, and creates a foul odor. While the tide is naturally occurring, human activity has caused it to become more frequent \u2014 killing sea creatures, creating environmental issues and ruining beach days, to say the least. In 2018, the west coast of Florida experienced a persistent red tide that lasted until 2019 and resulted in a $2.7 billion loss for the tourism industry and Florida\u2019s economy, according to a National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science study that Alvarez contributed to.<\/p>\n One of the leading causes of this threat is runoff from lawns treated with fertilizer, including homes, resorts, golf courses and other attractions with lush landscaping. The runoff creates an excess of nutrients that feed the microorganisms. Some Florida counties even ban the use of fertilizers containing nitrogen or phosphorus during wet seasons, but Alvarez says more solutions need to be identified. 麻豆原创 Coastal faculty are exploring ways to combat red tide, such as using a clay solution to sink the algal bloom and prevent it from coming closer to shorelines.<\/p>\n Across Florida\u2019s springs and rivers, water quality is also an issue, with runoff making it unsafe for people to swim and fish. High volumes of visitors also impact ecosystems by killing seagrass, whether it\u2019s boat propellers or swimmers, impacting the nutrient balance of the environment and animals\u2019 diets.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will have to restore our waterways if we want to maintain this attractiveness that the state of Florida has,\u201d Alvarez says. \u201cWe can\u2019t just have an extractive mentality. That is not the right way to manage these natural attractions. To ensure that we have these attractions for future generations and, really, to maximize their value over time, we need to care for them today.\u201d<\/p>\n To remain at the forefront of the hospitality and tourism industry, Rosen College is looking to increase its interdisciplinary expertise and teachings. Among the areas being explored is one Pizam has been driving for years.<\/p>\n \u201cMy vision was always that we can be not only the largest, but also the best,\u201d Pizam says. \u201cMy vision is that hospitality is more than an industry. Hospitality is also a culture. If it is a culture, we can adopt it in other similar industries [like we have in the] event industry, theme park and attraction industry, and community living management. Now my vision is to apply it to the healthcare industry as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Pizam, who is 86, was hospitalized for an extended period after surviving a stroke. That\u2019s when he realized healthcare facilities could greatly improve interactions with those in need of care. One-third of patients surveyed noted they had a negative experience with a healthcare provider, hospital or pharmacy, according to a 2021 report from Accenture.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there is an industry that needs to adopt a hospitality culture, it\u2019s healthcare,\u201d Pizam says.<\/p>\n Faculty from Rosen College already include examples from healthcare case studies in several courses. They also collaborate with the 麻豆原创 College of Medicine to offer a Culinary Medicine elective that combines the science of food and nutrition with healthy cooking techniques. Students learn from physicians, dietitians and chefs to understand the role food plays in good health and management of disease.<\/p>\n \u201cMy vision is that hospitality is more than an industry. Hospitality is also a culture.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u2014 Abraham Pizam, Rosen College founding dean and Linda Chapin Eminent Scholar Chair in Tourism Management<\/p>\n \u201cOur hope is that [Rosen College will conduct] research and education to improve what [the healthcare industry] calls the \u2018customer experience\u2019 and what we call \u2018patient satisfaction,\u2019 \u201d says Pizam, who aims for Rosen College to also increase partnerships with 麻豆原创\u2019s College of Nursing and College of Health Professions and Sciences.<\/p>\n As Lake Nona\u2019s Medical City \u2014 where 麻豆原创’s College of Medicine<\/a> and Academic Health Sciences Center are located \u2014 continues to develop, it\u2019s becoming a destination for high-quality healthcare services. Expanding Rosen College\u2019s reach to this industry, and specifically Management in this location, may help Central Florida secure a reputation for a different type of tourism.<\/p>\n Last year, Michael Chiang \u201920MS \u201922MD<\/strong> became the first 麻豆原创 medical school graduate who also earned a master\u2019s in hospitality and tourism management<\/a>. Through his clinical experiences, he was reminded of the importance of soft skills associated with hospitality \u2014 which he also learned about growing up with a mother who worked in an assisted living home.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/4\/files\/2023\/10\/Pegasus-Fa23-Feature-Rosen-sect-1200x800-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n