Travel school
should stand alone
IN response to A.A. Smyser's May 16 column, in which he supported the merging of the University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management (TIM) and the College of Business Administration (CBA), I'd like to share some compelling reasons why the TIM School should remain independent. 
Despite years of severe budget cutbacks and enrollment declines at UH, the TIM School continues to thrive and grow.
Our enrollment in the past three years has increased and our school is one of the most productive, efficient units on campus.
In spite of Hawaii's slow economy, the placement of our students is outstanding. Within six months of graduation, 98 percent are placed in jobs of their choice.
Our well-established internship program, which requires each student to work a minimum of 800 hours in the industry, has been a model for other programs and has begun to be emulated by the CBA.
Our Master of Science program, which was established after our separation from the CBA in 1990, is now a well-respected program at maximum enrollment.
The quality of all our programs can be demonstrated by the strong evaluation from our accreditation body, which recently reaccredited the school until 2008.
The TIM School, as an independent unit, has enjoyed a strong local, regional and international presence, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
It is one of only 16 educational institutions worldwide and one of three in the United States (along with Cornell and George Washington) that is designated by the World Tourism Organization as an international tourism education and training center.
Our Center for Tourism Policy Research attracts research grants for all aspects of the travel industry, in Hawaii and worldwide. We are currently national finalists for competitive grants from the federal government totaling $1 million.
One of these will build upon our sustainable tourism program established with a donation from Ambassador Bill Lane. The other will assist in launching our distance education program.
In addition, research and training initiatives being negotiated by our faculty expect to generate at least another $1 million.
Our internationally recognized faculty members have published many books and articles, sit on numerous review boards, present research at national and international conferences and are working with TIM graduate students to address critical travel-industry issues in Hawaii.
The school continues to be a leader in innovative curriculum, especially in the area of technology (including e-commerce), and has begun online distance education courses to better serve both traditional and non-traditional students.
Our state-of-the-art Leong Hop and Bernice C. Loui Computer Lab houses many travel industry computer systems, including online terminals to the Galileo/Apollo database, thanks to a recent gift from Galileo International. We are the only school in the world to receive such a gift.
The Gee Technology Learning Center, opening in 2001, will assist us in the development of our online distance learning programs. Monies raised by our very active alumni association are making this possible.
The school also houses the Susnet Reference Center, one of the finest collections of tourism volumes anywhere in the world.
COULD we do better if we merged with the CBA? The TIM and CBA faculty councils, the Manoa faculty senate and the TIM Advisory Board all strongly think not. Each has analyzed the issues in depth and sees a pressing need to maintain independence.
Only with our autonomous status can the TIM School's potential truly be realized. More resources and support will allow us to educate more students, and continue to provide leadership for the increasingly complex challenges faced by Hawaii's tourism industry.
Pauline J. Sheldon is interim dean and a professor
in the School of Travel Industry Management at the
University of Hawaii at Manoa.
