More than six decades’ worth of hospitality management training and education is being brought to the Greater Kansas City area, thanks to Kansas State University’s department of hospitality management expanding its academic program to K-State Olathe.
In July, the department hired Jim Storey as a professor of practice in hospitality management for K-State Olathe. Storey instructs the “Facility, Risk and Security Management” and “Professional Club Management” courses for the department at the Manhattan campus. He also is coordinating the development of an undergraduate degree completion program for students in the Greater Kansas City area.
Efforts are underway to establish a 2+2 program in hospitality management for students in Greater Kansas City. While the 2+2 program is still being developed, the idea is that students who attend Johnson County Community College for two years could seamlessly transition to K-State Olathe and complete a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management with two more years of coursework at the Olathe campus.
Greater Kansas City is one of the fastest growing regions for hospitality management. Strategically expanding the academic program to the region means students working and living in the metro area now have the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree from one of the nation’s top-ranked hospitality management programs without having to relocate to Manhattan.
“We’re always looking at opportunities that invite new students to be a part of K-State,” said Kevin R. Roberts, interim department head and associate professor of hospitality management. “With K-State Olathe and our new professor of practice, the department has a more direct collaboration with Johnson County Community College and the Greater Kansas City region. This makes our excellent degree program more accessible than ever before. We look forward to sharing it with the Kansas City community.”
In addition to the 2+2 program, Storey also is developing working partnerships with local industry for collaboration opportunities.
One such collaboration in the early stages is the with Heart of America Group, a Midwest hospitality management organization that designs, builds and manages restaurants and hotels, including the Embassy Suites by Hilton that opened January in Olathe. The organization is looking at providing applied learning experiences in their facilities to K-State students while having access to K-State’s industry and educational opportunities for their employees.
K-State’s department of hospitality management is the only program in Kansas that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in hospitality management and also is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. In addition, the program is ranked among the 30 best hospitality programs in the U.S.