Citation
Cheng, M. (2018), "Notes from the Interim Dean", International Hospitality Review, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 5-5. https://doi.org/10.1108/IHR-12-2018-016
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Michael Cheng
License
Published in International Hospitality Review. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
In total, 35 years ago, the first edition of the FIU Hospitality Review was published by Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Its aim was to promote the exchange of ideas between academics and practitioners on both theoretical and applied principles with the explicit purpose of contributing to the existing body of knowledge surrounding the hospitality industry. As a top-ranked biannual peer-reviewed academic journal, we published the seminal works of notable researchers such as Jack Ninemeir, Robert Woods, James Taylor, Hubert Van Hoof and countless others. We made great strides in bridging the gap between academics and practitioners in the hospitality industry. We took our cues from industry and applied them into the classroom, and we shared our learnings with others worldwide through the journal.
Today, we have relaunched the FIU Hospitality Review as the International Hospitality Review, with the same mission, but refined – to generate the exchange of ideas between academics and industry leaders on both theoretical and applied concepts with the explicit purpose to promote the highest level of scholarship and value to academics and practitioners. Our focus is clear. We recognize and acknowledge the bond between academia and industry. At the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, we embrace our partners from industry. From the Marriott Tianjin China Program to our Southern Wine and Spirits Beverage Management Center, from our Carnival Student Center to our Wine Spectator Restaurant Management Laboratory and our Badia Spices Advanced Food Production Laboratory, our goal is to ensure that everything we do reflects the needs of the hospitality industry. This includes providing the best experiential education to over 1,000 student volunteers at the most successful wine and food festival in the world, the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which has raised millions for scholarship and support for our students at the Chaplin School.
Our approach to learning mirrors our scholarship. We will continue to be the top-ranked hospitality management program globally by being focused, relevant and innovative. Adopting an industry validated competency-based learning model with the twenty-first century skills will ensure that our students are prepared for the workforce demands of today and beyond.
In the inaugural issue of the International Hospitality Review, you will find peer-reviewed articles that address millennial demands, emerging markets, and student success. These are applied research papers that promote collaboration with industry, much like the DNA of the Chaplin School since its founding almost 50 years ago. I trust that you will enjoy reading these papers as much as I have, and I encourage you to continue pushing forward – with industry as your co-pilot – to innovate and create new knowledge that is relevant and timely, to apply and disseminate those learnings globally, and to further strengthen the bond between industry and academia.