Three people from the academic field outside of Hawaii have been selected as finalists in the search for a new dean of the Travel Industry Management school at the University of Hawaii. 3 finalists for
travel school deanAll work for colleges outside of Hawaii
By Tim Ruel
truel@starbulletin.comThe candidates will be visiting the UH-Manoa campus for final interviews and to meet with the public. The visits have not yet been scheduled.
Peter Englert, chancellor of the Manoa campus, will recommend a candidate to the Board of Regents.
The final candidates are:
> James F. Burke, dean of the Collins School of Hospitality Management at California State Polytechnic University.
> Walter Jamieson, vice chairman of the World Tourism Education and Research Centre at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.
> Stephen L.J. Smith, professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
The new dean will replace Chuck Gee, who retired as dean of the TIM school in 1999 and who is currently dean emeritus.
Gee, who was not part of the search committee that selected the finalists, said he would have a suggested a person who had ties to the tourism industry in Hawaii. The state is a small island community, and tourism is its No. 1 economic driver.
"You need to work closely with the industry," Gee said. "You always need to think ahead of where we are headed."
Still, the new dean will probably get up to speed fast, especially since the candidates have worked within other universities, Gee said. "You begin to learn the same politics," he said. All three candidates appear to be capable people, Gee added.
In the end, the new dean's ability to raise funds could be just as important a consideration as their background.
Many aspects of the TIM program, from its laboratories to the library, have been funded by outside sources. Also, the school is getting too big for its facilities, Gee said.
Enrollment has grown to more than 350 students and the school recently opened a new technology learning center. A new facility could cost between $20 million and $30 million to build.
University of Hawaii at Manoa