As the hospitality industry continues to grow around the world, the K-State Department of Hospitality Management faculty eyes transformational student experiences in faraway places. Their goal is to prepare students for a hospitality career in a global economy.
Two faculty-led trips this spring took students to France and to Northern Ireland. Plans are underway for study-abroad trips this school year.
The trip to Northern Ireland, led by Kevin Roberts and Shawna Jordan, assistant dean, grew from a partnership between the Ulster University and K-State. The partnership states that the universities will host each other’s students.
The agreement is for all majors but preference is given to hospitality management students, Roberts said.
More than $40,000 in scholarship from the College of Human Ecology and from the Office of International Programs, help most students with travel expenses. Several college scholarships are earmarked for international experiences.
Dean John Buckwalter wants more students to experience other cultures. “We want our students to have experiences that help them grow as individuals and that prepare them for the global marketplace,” he said.
In Dublin, Ireland, the group toured Guinness then traveled to Belfast where they toured major points of interest, learned about Northern Ireland’s history, visited a chocolatier and had high tea at the Merchant Hotel.
They also toured the Galgorm Manor Resort and Spa and Dunluce Castle.
“It is always great to see our students have the light bulb moments about the world,” Roberts said. “For this trip in particular, it was understanding the history of Northern Ireland and visiting smaller communities outside Belfast.
“Students come away understanding more about themselves and how they fit in the world around them.”
Student traveling to Northern Ireland were Joshua Allen, Kaitlyn Ellis, Nicole Dearing, Niqing Lin, Megan McFadden, Lexi Haines, Justin Bennett, Chloe Ferrell and Kate Orndorff.
The second spring trip was led by Betsy Barrett and Pat Pesci before their May retirement. Barrett and Pesci believe in the benefits of study abroad for hospitality management students and have established a scholarship for that purpose.
The object of the spring study tour was to expose students to the French wine and food culture, including sustainability practices in the hospitality industry, international influence of French cuisine, food production practices and sanitation standards and the history and development of the food and wine industry in France.
“Our students learn that everyone is not like them, that people of different cultures have different experiences and practices. We traveled to rural areas of France where few spoke English,” Barrett said. “They learned so much from the French students with whom they were paired.”
Before the trip students also had to research assigned topics. They also met via Skype with tourism students from the University of Blaise Pascal and Professor Catherine Morgan-Proux, a tour host.
Those going to France were Grace Callison, Maddy Irvine, Hayley Lollar, Courtney Voelker, Bridgid Hornsby, Hoi Man Law, Meghan McCoy and Ashley Wright. Also on the tour were Kelly Whitehair, instructor, and Rebecca Dale, hospitality management adviser.
