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Hawaii’s World
CAN Travel Industry Management -- one of the most under-achieving schools at the University of Hawaii -- fare better if merged into the College of Business Administration? Where should
UH travel school go?
TIM defenders, including the faculty senate, say NO. My vote is YES. TIM too long has limped along as a second-class citizen in a UH environment that saw it as an upstart fighting for turf (meaning appropriations and faculty) against entrenched constituencies like tropical agriculture.
A main issue is whether the brand name of TIM with 300 students can survive being merged into CBA, which is many times that size.
CBA's new dean, David McClain, is an educator who previously occupied an endowed UH business chair that afforded prestige plus relative calm and security. With eyes wide open, he applied to leave it for the rough and tumble of administration.
The top-level decision on whether to move TIM is in the lap of President Kenneth Mortimer. If a merger is to happen, both sides need to work toward making it friendly. Mortimer showed, however, in moving public health into medicine that he will not be deterred by critics if he sees clear advantages in a shift.
McClain sees probable synergy in a merger. As to the brand name, he points out that when Ford bought Jaguar it kept the Jaguar name front and center but improved the product and its marketing.
TIM would remain a brand name under CBA, he promises. It fits his management style of decentralizing and moving as many decisions as possible down to the level of knowledgeable faculty. I saw a small example in that his secretary was able to set a time and place for me to meet him without even asking her boss if it was OK.
TIM boasts an increasing number of graduates in top visitor industry jobs here and Pacific-wide. They are proud of their alma mater. But there aren't enough of them, considering that the visitor industry is far and away Hawaii's most important industry and just about the fastest growing industry in the world.
I quoted an industry VIP last year as saying TIM ought to have 1,000 students, not 300, and ought to give them more hands-on experience in our hotel industry, one of the most professional in the world. He suggested TIM operate its own hotel. Possibly, says McClain, but more internships in the local industry might also do the job.
Since tuition covers only about one-third of UH education cost, more local students would require more subsidy. They and the public deserve it to prepare more of our own students for this important industry. Larger class sizes can hold the budget down. So can more foreign and graduate students paying full fare.
McClain already has had some success in lining up private grants to help CBA. He is pleased the governor and UH president will match the first-year income from endowments of academic chairs.
Where are the possible TIM-CBA synergies? Access for TIM students to the executive education and distance learning programs of CBA. Business know-how is increasingly important in all industries. TIM's policy of freshman admissions could possibly lead to CBA admissions below the sophomore level.
Recently U.S. News & World Report ranked U.S. graduate schools. The UH program in international business tied for 20th with Dartmouth.
McClain wants all of CBA to be in future Top 20s. He won't say he wants to be "another June Jones" but does say he intends to emulate the inspirational football coach in lifting his program to a higher level. My bet is he will succeed.
University of Hawaii
A.A. Smyser is the contributing editor
and former editor of the the Star-Bulletin
His column runs Tuesday and Thursday.