Welcome from Department Chair, Clayton Barrows, Ed.D.

Welcome from the faculty, staff, advisory board members and students of the Department of Hospitality Management in the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. We are proud of the Department, the quality of education that we provide, our successful graduates, and our strong relationship with our industry partners. Students have many choices when it comes to studying hospitality management at the some 200 four-year programs across the country. Our students choose to come here for some very compelling reasons though. We are fortunate to be part of the state’s flagship university and as well as being a department within the Paul College. Our students enjoy everything that a comprehensive university has to offer while earning a hospitality management degree that emphasizes core business areas. The Seacoast area of New Hampshire also provides an excellent learning environment and is close to Boston.

Our Department brings together students, faculty, staff and alumni who are predisposed to helping each other succeed. The Department is widely recognized by the hospitality industry as having a reputation for graduating educated and hardworking students who are ready to move into management positions in the various sectors of the hospitality industry. Our placement record for graduates is 100% in most years.

Our faculty members come from different backgrounds with different experiences.  They have two very important things in common however. First, they all have relevant industry experience which they are able to bring to the classroom. The importance of industry experience is one of the values that we share and that we also demand of our students. The second common factor that our faculty share is their dedication to our students. They are passionate about sharing their knowledge and helping students make the best career choices.

We also have a distinguished and engaged group of alumni who hold high level positions with the leading companies in the industry. Thirty of them have come together to form the International Hospitality Advisory Board that helps guide our program, evaluates various initiatives, supports us financially, and keeps us connected with the industry. The group comes together once a year to help review our progress on our strategic plan. Further, they are available throughout the year to our students for career advice and assistance. We are truly fortunate to have such a supportive and dedicated board.

Finally, the students themselves are also engaged. Aside from taking their classes, they are busy providing community service, working, interning, networking, and participating in student organizations. They know and understand that much of their learning takes place outside of the classroom. This is best evidenced by the five self-governing student organizations that provide students with leadership opportunities and assist the Department with various activities and events.

Our Department is a busy place and hosts multiple events throughout the year including our annual Career Event held at the Wentworth-by-the-Sea, our Networking Event (with industry partners), the annual meeting of the Rosenberg International Center of Franchising Advisory Board, and our annual trip to attend the New York Hotel Show where students get to experience a major industry trade show. In addition, many of our student clubs and classes take field trips to hotels, clubs, resorts and casinos around the region. Finally, we invite distinguished guests to our Department on a weekly basis, many of whom are our own advisory board members.