Window on education:
Harper College in Palatine, Ill.
The meetings industry
historically has been an accidental profession -- something folks
fell into, enjoyed and decided to stay with. That’s changing
quickly. Far fewer planners are coming up through company ranks,
while a growing number are entering the field directly from college
and university studies.
However they come to their jobs, novice
and experienced planners alike need to stay current with trends and
changes in the meetings industry -- an increasingly complex world
of myriad small details, global logistics and intense marketing
strategies.
“We have 15 classes on the conventions
side and six on the events side,” says Patti Shock, professor and
chairperson at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas’ William F.
Harrah College of Hotel Administration. “In the future, we will
begin requirements in trade shows, service contracting and
international events.”
Another development: Smaller colleges,
even community colleges, are getting in on the act, as the
following sampling reveals.
NORTHEAST
Champlain College
School of Continuing Education
Burlington, Vt.
www.champlain.edu/majors/hospitality
Program: Bachelor of
Science in Hospitality Industry Management with a specialization in
tourism and event management
Requirements: 120
credits
Cost: $440 per credit
or $16,250 per year as a full-time student
Class times: Weekdays
and weeknights
Contact: Peter
Straube, director; (800) 570-5858
George Washington
University
The International Institute of Tourism Studies
Washington, D.C.
www.gwutourism.org
Program: Certificate
in Event Management
Requirements: Seven
courses
Cost: $550 per
course
Class times:
Weeknights; weekdays for three weeks, and online
Contact: Kim
Dreux-Kelly, associate director; (202) 994-3304
New York University
Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and
Sports Management
New York City
www.scps.nyu.edu/departments/department.jsp?deptId=21
Program: Bachelor of
Science in Hotel and Tourism Management
Requirements: 128
credits
Cost: $929 per
credit
Class times: Weekdays
and weeknights
Contact: Donna
Quadri-Felitti, assistant clinical professor; (212) 998-7200
Program: Certificate
in Meeting, Conference and Event Management
Requirements: 42
credits
Cost: $4,640
Class times:
Weeknights
Contact: Donna
Quadri-Felitti, assistant clinical professor; (212) 998-7200
Portal to learning: Raritan Valley
Raritan Valley Community
College
North Branch, N.J.
www.raritanval.edu
Program: Certificate
in Events Planning/Meetings Management
Requirements: 30
credits
Cost: $84 per
credit
Class times: Weekdays,
weeknights and online
Contact: Recruitment
department; (908) 253-6688
Temple University
School of Tourism & Hospitality Management
Philadelphia
www.temple.edu/sthm/el
Program: Event
Leadership Executive Certificate Program
Requirements: 48
hours
Cost: $1,650
Class times: Weekends,
online
Contact: Michelle
Pearl, program coordinator; (215) 204-6126
University of Massachusetts
Isenberg School of Management
Hadley, Mass.
www.isenberg.umass.edu/htm
Program: Certificate
in Meeting and Event Management
Requirements: 12
credits
Cost: $290 per
credit
Class times:
Online
Contact: Som Seng,
program manager; (508) 856-5113
THE VIEW FROM NYU
New York University has been offering meetings and events courses since 1995. Its current program coordinator, Donna Quadri-Felitti, right, assistant clinical professor at the university’s Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management, chatted with
M&C about the center’s efforts and the broader world of meetings education.
M&C: It was only a few years ago that the suggestion of a specialized degree in this field was met with raised eyebrows. Are meetings and event disciplines now regarded with more respect?
Quadri-Felitti: There is significantly more respect. The generation of meeting planners today who are hiring the planners of tomorrow realize that education has elevated the profession. No longer are hirers looking for glorified assistants or administrative people, but rather for those who are both experienced and well educated. A professional degree is the first step, and a necessary one.
M&C: What is the academic climate like as it relates to the industry? Is there robust dialogue among professors?
Quadri-Felitti:Cultural awareness and globalization have fueled the need for meetings and therefore education, but it is not that we professors are getting together to have conventions on the subject. The subject ultimately remains professional rather than academic. The energy for all this education still comes from leading business-people in the industry. -- T.B.
MIDWEST
Harper College
School of Continuing Education
Palatine, Ill.
goforward.harper
college.edu/page.
cfm?p=1773
Program: Certificate
in Professional Meeting and Event Planning
Requirements: 27
hours
Cost: $499
Class times:
Weeknights
Contact: Michele
Wierzgac, instructor; (847) 925-6300
Madison Area Technical
College
Madison, Wis.
www.matcmadison.edu
Program: Meeting and
Event Management Certificate
Requirements: 11
credits
Cost: $87 per
credit
Class times:
Weeknights
Contact: Heather
Liddicoat, administrator; (608) 246-6372
Roosevelt University
Manfred Steinfeld School of Hospitality and Tourism
Management
Chicago and Schaumburg, Ill.
www.roosevelt.edu/
etsuc/hosm.htm
Program: Certificate
Program in Meeting, Convention and Exhibition Management
Requirements: 15
credits
Cost: $575
Class times:
Weeknights
Contact: Donna De
Mille, assistant director; (312) 281-3181
WEST
California State
University-Dominguez Hills
School of Continuing Education
Carson, Calif.
www.csudh.edu/extension/meeting.htm
Program: Certificate
of Completion in Meeting and Event Planning
Requirements: nine
classes
Cost: $125 per
class
Class times:
Saturdays
Contact: Jim Bouchard,
senior program development specialist; (310) 243-3729
California State
University-Sacramento
College of Continuing Education
Sacramento, Calif.
www.cce.csus.edu
Program: Professional
Meeting Planning Certificate Program
Requirements: 70 hours
(10 classes)
Cost: $179 per
class
Class times: Weekdays,
with occasional Saturday classes
Contact: Bonnie
Thompson, program coordinator; (916) 278-4433, ext. 2
California State University-San
Marcos
Office of Extended Studies
San Marcos, Calif.
www.csusm-es.org/beaplanner
Program: Certificate
in Meeting and Event Planning
Requirements: 12
classes
Cost: $1,499
Class times:
Saturdays
Contact: Cathy Dellas,
program coordinator; (760) 750-4020
Edmonds Community College
Hospitality & Tourism Department
Lynnwood, Wash.
hosp.edcc.edu
Program: Hospitality
and Tourism Event Planning Certificate
Requirements: 43
credits
Cost: $1,000 per
quarter
Class times:
Online
Contact: Beth
O’Donnell, tenured faculty; (425) 640-1208
San Diego State University
College of Extended Studies
San Diego
www.sdsu.edu/htm
Program: Bachelor of
Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management
Requirements: 120
credits
Cost: $3,000,
in-state; $11,000, out-of-state
Class times: Weekdays
and weeknights
Contact: Carl Winston,
program coordinator; (619) 594-5821
San JoseState University
Professional Development Center
San Jose, Calif.
pd.sjsu.edu/certificates-and-programs
Program: Certificate
in Event and Meeting Planning
Requirements: 10.5
credits
Cost: $2,207.50
Class times: Weekdays
for three weeks, and online
Contact: Debbie
Cortez, program coordinator; (408) 924-2737
University of Nevada at Las
Vegas
William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration
Las Vegas
hotel.unlv.edu
Program: Bachelor of
Science in Hotel Administration with a specialization in meetings
and events
Requirements: 128
credits
Cost: $105.25 per
credit, in-state; $221 per credit, out-of-state
Class times: Weekdays,
weeknights
Contact: Patti Shock,
professor and chairperson; (702) 895-0875
Program: Master of
Science in Hotel Administration with a specialization in meetings
and events
Requirements: 36
credits
Cost: $510 per
credit
Class times:
Weeknights
Contact: Curtis Love,
associate professor; (702) 895-3334
Program: Executive
Masters of Hospitality Administration
Requirements: 30
credits
Cost: $510 per
credit
Class times:
Online
Contact: Curtis Love,
associate professor; (702) 895-3334
CENTRAL STATES
Austin Community College
Austin, Texas
www.austincc.edu/hospmgmt
Program: Certificate
in Meeting and Event Planning
Requirements: 15
hours
Cost: $89 per hour,
in-state; $176 per hour, out-of-state
Class times:
Weeknights
Contact: Virginia
Lawrence, department chair; (512) 223-5174
Sweet studies:
University of Houston
System at Sugar Land
University of Houston System at
Sugar Land
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant
Management
Sugar Land, Texas
www.sugarland.uh.edu
Program: Certificate
in Event Management and Hospitality Sales
Requirements: 12
hours
Cost:
$2,500-$3,000
Class times:
Weeknights and online
Contact: Becky Mobley,
program coordinator; (832) 842-2867
SOUTH
University of Central
Florida
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Orlando
www.hospitality.ucf.edu
Program: Bachelor of
Science in Event Management
Requirements: 120
hours
Cost: $116.40 per
hour, in-state; $567.24 per hour, out-of-state
Class times: Weekdays,
weeknights
Contact: Deborah
Breiter, chair; (407) 903-8000
University of North Carolina at
Charlotte
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Charlotte, N.C.
www.continuinged.uncc.edu/certificate/meeting_event
Program: Certificate
Program in Meeting and Event Planning
Requirements: 60
hours
Cost: $1,795
Class times:
Weeknights, online
Contact: Amy Wartham,
program director; (704) 687-8723