Students share how the major has become better to achieve BYUH’s mission
In January 2023, BYU–Hawaii’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program was ranked 16 on the 2023 list of the 50 Best Hospitality Management Programs in the United States by BestAccreditedColleges.org, out of more than 350 programs that were evaluated. Jeff Christensen, the director of the Center for Hospitality and Tourism and his students, both past and present, expressed their enthusiasm for the ranking and commented on how the major has grown to better accomplish the mission of the university.
Student reactions
Isabelle Lewis, a senior from Idaho majoring in HTM who works for Christensen, said she has a very unique perspective when it comes to the program. “I see how much effort goes into making our program one of the best from behind the scenes. So over about the past year and a half, I’ve sat through countless meetings and countless brainstorm sessions with Christensen, just kind of going over how we can really make this program the best for our students.
When she found out about BYUH’s ranking, Lewis said she was overjoyed and glad the faculty’s work to improve the program had paid off.
Mike Heffernan, a senior student from Laie also majoring in HTM, said the educational foundation provided by BYUH combined with real-world experience will bless him in the future. He further explained how one of the reasons the HTM program was so special was the professors taught from their experiences, rather than just from a textbook.
“Hearing we were one of the top HTM programs in the nation, for me, a school of this size to be getting that attention is just a reflection of not only how well the students are performing but also what good leadership we have,” he said.
A sophomore from the Philippines majoring in HTM, Nance Micabani, said he was amazed when he found out about the school’s ranking. “Being ranked as 16 out of that many is not easy, so I presume that we actually have a great HTM program, of which I’m experiencing right now.”
In regards to the changes made to the HTM program, Micabani said BYUH is known for producing people who are “genuine gold.”
He said, “With this program right here, BYUH is really doing its best,
and I can see it because I can also see the changes in me as I take my schooling right here. The school really helped me to become more proficient when it comes to the courses that I’ve taken.”
Improving the program
Christensen said he owed the school’s ranking to the changes made to the program over the last few years to increase its rigor and better provide students with skills they will need in the workplace.
He added he felt in the past the program was seen as mainly a hotel management program because the Center for Hospitality and Tourism was founded back in 2015 by several Marriott Hotel executives.
“When we did an evaluation of the target area, however, and we saw the sectors of tourism where our students were most likely to be employed, we decided to branch out a little bit. One of the things we did is put in place what we call the track system, where every HTM major is exposed to four sectors of the industry in our target area. Those include lodging, food and beverage, and destination management, which includes attractions, and events.”
Christensen added that courses on math and accounting have been added to the major to familiarize students with Microsoft Excel and how soft skills training has vastly improved. “In our industry, for example, our product is quite complicated because our staff is part of the product, and the customer is too. Those customers come with expectations based on their life experience, and you, as an employee in the industry, have to design an experience that speaks to that particular customer’s needs.”
To help with this, a class on customer experience optimization has been made required for the major. It trains students how to design and manage the guest experience from the very first impression.
The HTM program has partnered with the Polynesian Cultural Center for its food and beverage courses. These courses include one about food and beverage management, which teaches students how to build a restaurant from the ground up. Chef Felix Tai teaches culinary arts and kitchen management, where students can learn how a professional kitchen runs and a class on gastronomy, teaches students about the science behind taste and how to cater to an international body of customers with different palates.
Blessings of the program
As she prepares to graduate in Fall 2023, Lewis reflected on how HTM was her fifth major after she had tried different things to find what she liked. “Our specific HTM program is so beneficial because I feel like my teachers are constantly trying to give me real-world experience. So, between just different courses, the support that I receive from teachers on different work endeavors or travel endeavors, I constantly feel like they’re trying to give me actual skills for the real world.”
She continued, “Our major has prepared me specifically to know all the different types of jobs that I can have and all the different areas of work that I could be in. But I feel like I’ve just gained this huge amount of networking and support from our professors and our faculty so I’m making changes to my life while I’m still in school instead of waiting until I’m graduated.”
The HTM program recently hosted a career exploration trip to Denver, Colorado, to attend the largest travel and adventure show in North America. There were tourism-related business representatives from all seven continents attending the conference, according to Christensen. This allowed the students from BYUH to network with people from around the world.
Christensen said multiple students told him they felt they learned more in the five days they were on the trip than in their entire semester. “To me that shows HTM’s commitment to really provide those hands-on, meaningful experiences that take their classroom experiences to the next level.”
“We cater to almost 11 percent of the student body. We’re the largest single major on campus if you look at business’ single concentrations. … I think most of that stems from the fact that our students come from island nations that require heavily on tourism to support their economies, so they see the job opportunities.”
Fane Koi, a junior from Fiji majoring in HTM, said her major has helped her move closer to helping her country’s economy, where tourism is the primary industry. Since the COVID-19 pandemic ended, she said Fiji has been expanding its tourism center, to cater to the increase in travelers visiting the islands.
Reacting to BYUH’s placement as one of the top HTM programs, Koi said she agreed with the ranking. “Before I came, I had started with my bachelor’s in tourism in Fiji, but one thing that BYUH gives that the university I went to didn’t give was the exposure and the opportunities. For instance, Brother Christensen took us to Denver earlier this year, and that really opened up our eyes to tourism throughout the world. How they [tourism boards] ‘sell’ their country.”
Since the Denver trip, she mentioned she has been offered an internship by Tourism Fiji, and credited her time at BYUH for giving her a much more international view of tourism. “My perspective is broader now. So now I know how to cater to guests coming from throughout the world to Fiji.
Remarking on the importance of students representing the countries they were from, Koi said “You represent your country better because that’s home. And if a person represents where they’re not from, it’s not as personal as a person who’s actually brought up there.”
Heffernan, who is 34 and married with two daughters, worked at Turtle Bay Resort for 12 years before going to BYUH for a degree. “The only catch being I couldn’t stop working so I’m back in school but still working, still being a full–time father.
Heffernan continues his education as an HTM major, working overnight until 8 in the morning before attending classes. With his past experience in the industry, Heffernan said “class makes a lot more sense. … Everything I’ve taken in school I can say it definitely directly applies to things I’ve done at my job.
“I think the education that the HTM program is providing is definitely very, very relevant, and that’s not just coming from me.”
Micabani said he chose to major in HTM because he found a love of meeting and talking to people in his job as a tour guide at the PCC. After he graduates, he said he foresees himself owning his own event-organizing team and also helping the Philippines expand its tourism sector.
“I know the Philippines has a lot of potential when it comes to tourism,” he added, saying there were many more places in the country for people to discover, so they could know his home country was more than just an archipelago with beautiful beaches.
“Filipinos are known for being hospitable,” he said, citing how many people from the Philippines are employed by tourist and hospitality agencies.
In the classes he has taken so far, Micabani said he has learned the most about the importance of exposure and experience. “One of the things Brother Christensen said he appreciates about me is I really try to go in and appreciate every activity or event they try to hold.
BYU–Hawaii’s mission
When he found out BYUH’s program was ranked 16 in the nation, Christensen said it took him by surprise, because he had no idea the school was being evaluated for such an award. But later, he said “To be honest, some of the reasons that we landed so high are just because BYUH is who it is.
“In my mind, no other industry contributes more to the mission of the university, to build cultural understanding and spread peace throughout the world than tourism, because it opens hearts and minds. People become acquainted with other cultures and come to understand how others live, think, feel. Tourism to me has so many benefits.”
As a professor, Christensen said he loves seeing international students taking classes in HTM, primarily because “the world is never going to be less global than it is today, so understanding how to interact with people who think differently, feel differently, have different ideas, opinions [and] ways of doing things is really essential in today’s world.” Before moving over to academia, Christensen spent over 20 years in the industry, and said he saw firsthand how the world was becoming more and more globalized.
“Hospitality actually stems from the Hebrew language,” Christensen said, adding how it was a commandment given from the Lord to the prophet Abraham in the Book of Genesis. “The hospitality industry as we know it today really originated in the Middle East. So we teach the Middle Eastern philosophy of hospitality which is called ‘karam,’ which is basically based around creating ... unforgettable guest experiences.”
He added how the Center also recently reworked its mission statement. It now reads, “We glorify God by pursuing higher and holier hospitality solutions. When people interact with us, they feel the love of their Savior. Our mission is to transform HTM students into spiritually–resilient, substantive representatives of God who engage in disruptive innovation, enhance the lives of travelers across the globe, and thrive as visionary leaders in meaningful long–term careers.”
Tekarohi Dexter, an alumna from Tahiti who majored in HTM, was hired as head of regional and international tourism for Tahiti right after her graduation, which she owed to her time in the HTM program.
From the moment she took her first course in HTM, Dexter said she knew the major was meant for her. “All the classes with Brother Jeff Christensen were helpful as I am successful in my career today. The Websters and the Huntsman missionaries really also provide important feedback for me to find my way and show my potential to work in the field.
“To be honest, being in a church school was such a blessing as we continuously receive guidance from teachers, advisors, friends and more importantly God. So, my journey in the HTM program was incredible. I encourage any adventurous and curious students to try this program. It is fun, easy when you put effort into work, teachable and something that you would be grateful for.”
According to Christensen, Dexter, as an employee of a tourism company endorsed by the Tahitian government, is helping to coordinate the 2024 Olympic surfing competition in Tahiti (Paris is the host of the 2024 games), and has enlisted BYUH HTM students as interns and volunteers to help out with the competition, which for him, was evidence of the blessings of the program.
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