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How Hospitality & Tourism Administrators Spend Their Time
Activity
n
Mean
Percentage
Managing faculty & staff
92
22.84
Teaching
92 21.64
Responding to administrative requests
92
14.86
Outreach activities (interacting with community & industry)
92
12.30
Fundraising 92
11.29
Service
92 7.85
Research
92 6.39
Consulting 91
1.99
Other
91 1.15
2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition
453
Table 2
Traits of a Good Academic Leader
n
Extremel
y
Im
po
rtant
%
Ver
y
Im
po
rtan
t
%
M
od
erately
Im
po
rtant
%
Slig
htly
Im
po
rtant
%
No
t at all
Im
po
rtant
%
Declin
e to
Ans
w
er
%
Mean
Scale
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
Competency
Honesty
&
Integrity
90
92.2
6.7 - 1.1 - - 1.10
Ability to communicate
90
92.2
6.7 - 1.1 - - 1.10
Creating a vision
90
71.1
24.4
2.2
2.2
-
-
1.36
Ability to cooperate with others 90
70.0
26.7
3.3 - - - 1.33
Open-mindedness
90
64.4
28.9
4.4 2.2 - - 1.44
Ability to take charge
90
54.4 30.0 14.4
1.1 - - 1.62
Optimism
90
45.6
43.3
10.0
1.1 - - 1.67
Ability to build consensus
90
38.9 43.3 14.4 2.2 1.1 - 1.83
Decisiveness
90
36.7
51.1
11.1
1.1 - - 1.77
Intelligence in the discipline
90
35.6 46.7 15.6 1.1 - 1.1 1.87
Empathy
towards
others
90
32.2
44.4
20.0
3.3 - - 1.94
Ability to conduct fundraising
90
24.4 37.8 26.7 5.6 4.4 1.1 2.31
Table 3
Factors Relevant in Having Confidence in Academic Leaders
Factors
n %
Leaders’ honesty, integrity, and ethics in their professional life
90
53.3
Leaders’ ability to inspire followers’ loyalty and enthusiasm
90
22.2
Leaders’ knowledge, skills, and abilities
90
14.4
Leaders’ honesty, integrity, and ethics in their personal life
90
5.6
Decline to answer
90 4.4
2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition
454
CONCLUSIONS TO THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Question #1:
What is the demographic profile of department heads for hospitality and tourism programs?
The average demographic profile for leaders of four-year, baccalaureate hospitality and tourism programs
in the United States is a married, Caucasian or White American male that is 56 years old with two children. He will
have obtained his Doctorate of Philosophy degree and is making less than $100,000 salary. This leader will have
spent time working in the industry before entering academia and held previous managerial roles. He also believes
that honesty, integrity and ethics are traits most important in an academic leader for others to have confidence in
him. The average program is between one and two-hundred students on campuses that house anywhere from 15,000
to 30,000 students. The department head, on average, has one to nine faculty members reporting to him.
Question #2:
What experiences, competencies and credentials are most common among
department heads for hospitality and tourism programs?
Department heads for hospitality and tourism programs appear to have similar experiences, competencies
and credentials. First, most department heads have some type of industry experience. The majority of experience has
been in the hospitality and tourism field, but some have different industry experience including retail, banking, and
healthcare. Many served in managerial roles during their time in industry. This practical work experience helps to
develop managerial and leadership skills as well as gain a better understanding of the industry and how it operates.
This industry experience is critical to developing the leaders’ skills and traits that are needed to manage an effective
hospitality and tourism program.
Second, department heads spent much time teaching before assuming an administrative role as a
department head. Most department heads spent at least 6 to 10 years teaching before their first administrative
position. Eighty percent of the department heads continue to teach while in their current position. It is assumed that
during these teaching years, individuals can familiarize themselves with the workings of an educational institution
and also learn what the program offers its students through the curriculum and activities. It is also during this time
that individuals can illustrate their contributions to the field and to the students they teach on their way to earning a
higher academic rank. Most department heads held a Full Professor or Associate Professor rank before assuming a
leadership role in education. As mentioned before, department heads gained valuable managerial experience while
working in the industry. This is important because it was identified that department heads spend an average of 23%
of their time managing faculty and staff.
These leaders believe that two major experiences are needed to be able to successfully lead a hospitality
and tourism management program. Industry experience and teaching experience are important paths to take when
rising to the top of their academic field.. In addition to those experiences these leaders believe that traditional
leadership skills are also very important. Many competencies were identified as extremely important by the
respondents including honesty and integrity and the ability to communicate. These skills, and many others, are
character traits that are found in successful leaders throughout many fields not just in hospitality and tourism
academia programs.
Surprisingly, many respondents did not hold many industry certifications. Of those that did hold
certifications, they included Certified Hospitality Educator, Foodservice Management Professional, Certified Hotel
Administrator, and Registered Dietician. The respondents also believed that serving on both industry and academic
association boards were important. This type of service helps to build networks and resources from outside a
specific department.
Question #3:
To what degree do department heads believe industry experience and/or education
is important to achieving success in hospitality and tourism education?
Department heads believe industry experience is more important than obtaining a doctoral degree to
achieving success in hospitality and tourism education. This is not a surprising finding as the hospitality and tourism
industry is primarily an experience-based field as opposed to theoretical. Having experience in the industry can
greatly help department heads to better understand the curriculum necessary to best prepare students for a career in
the ever-growing industry of hospitality and tourism. This preparation should prepare the students for a job, but also
provide them with extensive knowledge and skills to contribute positive change in the industry. On the education
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