Brigham Young University-Hawaii’s hospitality and tourism management program is expected to grow from approximately 130 students to 250 by the end of 2017, making it one of the largest majors on the Laie campus.

By comparison, the School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa has about 375 students.

BYU-Hawaii is establishing a new Center for Hospitality and Tourism, an investment made possible by the Marriott Foundation with one of the largest contributions ever made to the campus.

The center, which will open in the fall of 2016 in the Heber J. Grant building, is expected to fill a void in visitor industry workforce development by establishing a major tourism educational brand on the North Shore and offering community college students an alternative for continued education.

It also is expected to have a mainland following because it will be the only school in the Brigham Young University system to have its own tourism and hospitality center. However, tourism leaders say its propensity to draw from the Pacific islands is the way it will most likely differentiate itself from UH’s TIM School.

David Preece, who was named the center’s first executive director and was once affiliated with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, said establishing a center within the college of business, rather than creating a new academic department, allows for more industry engagement and support. The timing follows the June opening of the Marriott Courtyard Oahu North Shore in Laie, which gives BYU-Hawaii students, who have long had access to workforce development at the Polynesian Cultural Center, another learning laboratory.

“Our focus is greater academic rigor and flexibility, new practicum and internship experiences, and more industry engagement and placement support,” he said. “These significant changes will place us among the ranks of the nation’s best (tourism management) programs, and this high-profile association with the Marriott name is an invaluable program asset.”

Right fit for students

The creation of a Marriott Maika‘i Loa program will offer honors students mentoring and scholarships, Preece said. Other additions such as the ‘Imiloa Program will give students the opportunity to travel with faculty, and the Akamai Program will bolster networking between students and industry executives. The ‘Ike Program will provide a few students with the chance to intern in Waikiki and live in a dormitory there.

Preece said the center will result in greater collaboration between tourism students and faculty from programs like Pacific studies, biological science, exercise science, political science and international cultural studies.

The TIM School at UH has thrived as an independent school with its own global brand. The program was once under the business school, but became autonomous in 1991.

International businessman Johnson Choi, who was named a distinguished alumnus of the TIM School in 1999, said he expects BYU-Hawaii efforts will yield similar success.

“I’m not surprised that upon receiving a major grant that BYU-Hawaii wants to stand out with a center. They’ll increase donors and better coordinate their efforts in tourism and hospitality,” Choi said. “Autonomy helped the TIM School attract more attention and build long-term relationships in Asia.”

Choi said BYU-Hawaii might have an advantage over the TIM School because, as a private institution, it’s subject to less bureaucracy and fewer political whims.

“Even though the TIM School has more resources, every step takes so much reporting. By the time we make a change, BYU-Hawaii could be two years ahead,” Choi said. “The important thing is that BYU-Hawaii develops its own niche.”

Jadie Goo, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority brand manager, said, “As far as the opening of the BYU-Hawaii center, it’s definitely another good alternative for those who want to pursue a career in the industry. Workforce development is very important. We are always looking for a new generation with new ideas, and we want them to support our industry. We commend Marriott and BYU-Hawaii.”

Ariel Akana, a BYU-Hawaii student who transferred from the College of Southern Nevada, said the center will make the program even more appealing.

“BYU-Hawaii piqued my interest because of the opportunity to get tourism experience by working at the Polynesian Cultural Center,” Akana said. “Now students have the Marriott hotel, too. There are tremendous work development and networking opportunities here.”

Chuck Gee, dean emeritus for the UH TIM School, expects BYU-Hawaii to position itself as a lead workforce development program for Pacific islanders, who make up a large part of the Laie campus and come from tourism-dependent economies.

“I don’t see much rivalry. The UH program is more focused on theoretical and managerial preparation, and BYU-Hawaii has a more practical emphasis,” Gee said. “The graduates that they produce will be right for their geography and the stage of development.”

Asenaca Ramasima, a tourism management student at BYU-Hawaii, said the center will allow students to explore more avenues to meet the strong demand for entry-level tourism and hospitality management jobs across the Asia-Pacific region.

“It will be a blessing to be able to take the skills that I’ve learned here and apply them to the industry back home. I want to work for a government tourism bureau,” said Ramasima, who after graduation plans to return to her native Fiji, where tourism makes up 43 percent of the economy.

Tayzon Doloy, a BYU-Hawaii hospitality and tourism management major, said he selected BYU-Hawaii to help him stand out among competitors for tourism jobs in his hometown in the Philippines.

“I choose to be here to give me a greater opportunity to get my dream job. I want to be a hotel general manager,” Doloy said. “Students here are more than ready to be out in the workplace. But, all the changes that will take place will prepare students to be in the right job.”

The new center will not be branded a Marriott center to allow for additional donor opportunities and support. But Preece said Richard E. Marriott, a trustee of the Marriott Foundation and a former Polynesian Cultural Center board member, was key to the creation of the industry-education partnership.

“This relationship with the Center for Hospitality and Tourism fulfills a long-standing desire to help accelerate the expansion and enhancement of the university’s hospitality program,” Marriott said. “This global industry is growing quickly across the school’s target region, and it’s a great professional opportunity for the outstanding young students at BYU-Hawaii.”