Hospitality and Sport Management splitting | The Triangle

Hospitality and Sport Management splitting

Drexel University’s Center for Hospitality and Sport Management is splitting into two new centers, effective July 1.

The center was previously divided into three main departments: sports management, hospitality management, and culinary arts and food science. The new restructuring will break up the college, creating the Center for Sport Management — aligned with the LeBow College of Business — and the Center for Food and Hospitality Management — aligned with the College of Nursing and Health Professions.

Initially, students won’t see large changes to their experience, since the new restructuring is mainly an administrative change. However, students and faculty may see some changes and benefits in the future.

“The effect on students day-to-day … it’s not going to change very much,” Joel Maxcy, head of sports management, said.

“The students that are here right now, the biggest change that might happen in their day-to-day lives is instead of having classes in One Drexel Plaza they might have a few up in [Gerri C. LeBow Hall],” he continued.

For students, the potential benefits resulting from these changes can be divided into intangible and tangible changes. The intangible benefit relates to the branding of the degree. A closer association with business programs for sports management and nutrition/health programs for food and hospitality management will likely add some value to a student’s degree.

“I think it’ll be beneficial because we’re trying to emphasize that we’re a business oriented program. The best programs now have already moved into business schools … I think they’ll have a better branded education going forward,” Maxcy said.

The more tangible benefits aren’t clear as of yet, but they could include things like better research opportunities. And for now the two centers will retain independence from the two colleges that they are aligning with.

“They’re definitely their own academic unit, same with the [Center for Food and Hospitality Management]. So you won’t get a degree from the LeBow College of Business if you graduate with a B.S. in sports management, you get a degree from the Center for Sports Management,” Jimmy Wilson, director of communications and enrollment management for the Center of Hospitality and Sports Management, explained.

This new setup emphasizes the independence of both centers, and Wilson says that this is needed because of the unique nature of the programs.

“It allows us to market to the world that these programs are there and allows us to partner with external organizations to see the value in what we’re doing with food and hospitality or on the sports side. So, again, bring things to the surface but not being crushed by the weight of something bigger,” Wilson explained.

However, this independence may not be the case forever. The restructuring is essentially a first step; more change may come in the future, though it’s not known yet what form those changes will take, and the changes may be different for either center.

“The question is how we will transition fully. So, this first period, maybe a year or maybe longer, is a transitional [period]. So we’re breaking up the old center — that’s a big deal — we’re going to affiliate with LeBow, and I think it’s to be determined how that affiliation will develop over time. I think we hope to be quite well integrated with them,” Maxcy said.

Maxcy continued to explain that further absorption could lead to curriculum and other administrative changes.

These changes will be effective July 1, and more information about the Center for Hospitality and Sports Management can be found on their website at http://drexel.edu/hsm/