The academic year is passing quickly. Faculty and staff members of Hospitality Management and Dietetics (HMD) have been working diligently to craft a new vision, and articulate a strategy that will create strong program identity and build a transformational educational experience for the next generation of professionals.
In January we held a Program Exchange – a roundtable event with national experts from the hospitality management and dietetics disciplines as part of the strategic planning process. We had four objectives:
- Identify perceived reputation and strengths of the department and programs.
- Identify professional, industry and societal trends impacting and/or shaping hospitality management and dietetics education and research.
- Identify opportunities and areas of potential vulnerability for our programs.
- Identify potential strategic initiatives that HMD may pursue in light of core strengths, unique aspects and opportunities on the horizon, as well as potential challenges and ways to counteract or avoid them.
Six discipline experts accepted our invitation to serve as external panel members. They included department heads from well-respected hospitality and dietetics programs: Auburn University, Purdue University, Oklahoma State University and Iowa State University.
Panel members joined six internal panel members (HMD faculty) for a one-day, facilitated discussion.
Overall, the experience was extremely valuable. All participants were highly engaged throughout the process. At the end of the day highlights were shared with HMD faculty and staff, and these outcomes are subsequently being used to guide our planning for the future. A few of the highlights were:
- HMD department is well-known for foodservice management education, food safety research, leadership in online education in dietetics and honoring tradition.
- Key trends impacting/shaping the disciplines were identified. For example:
o Important changes in dietetics education and practice are clear, and programs need to be nimble and adapt with the changes.
o Evolving workforce needs in the hospitality industry emphasizes problem-solving and critical-thinking for graduates. Hospitality management programs need to ensure these and other transferable skills are maintained in the program and are strong.
- Opportunities exist for both programs and will guide development of strategic initiatives.
o Hospitality management is poised for growth, but will need to build a strong identity that will separate it from dietetics, as well as increase program visibility and reputation.
o The field of nutrition and dietetics currently focuses less on foodservice management, with greater attention to clinical nutrition therapy and wellness. Developing a closer relationship with K-State human nutrition programs may provide avenue for growth that also better prepares students for the profession.
The valuable insights gained from the Program Exchange are already being utilized.
Hospitality management faculty are creating a new strategic plan with a vision that will position the program to become internationally recognized for providing a transformational educational experience, as well as developing a growth strategy for the next five years.
Dietetics program faculty are communicating with human nutrition to determine whether a new department housing both programs will be the best path forward for becoming a widely recognized leader in preparing health professionals.