PULLMAN, Wash. — The School of Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University ranks No. 1 in the nation in providing career services assistance to its students seeking internships and jobs.
The “Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education” gave SHBM the top rating in a December article, “Exploring Hospitality Program Rankings.” The WSU hospitality program beat out other top-notch institutions like Cornell University; the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Michigan State University; and Purdue University for the lead slot.
The article resulted from research done by the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, graduate student Stacey L. Gould with professor David C. Bojanic. They polled professional industry recruiters about their perceptions of the attributes possessed by several American baccalaureate-granting, four-year hospitality programs. The majority of recruiters polled were from the East Coast.
“It’s very gratifying to know that our reputation for helping our students get internships and jobs that launch great careers extends from coast-to-coast,” said W. Terry Umbreit, SHBM program director and faculty member.
SHBM’s latest statistics show that about 95 percent of its graduates get multiple job offers by the time they graduate. That kind of success is greatly attributable to the close partnership hospitality has had for years with the WSU Career Services office, Umbreit said.
Career Services provides SHBM and the entire WSU student community with academic and career planning, experiential learning, job search preparation and access to various professional opportunities, he said. Its staff members help SHBM students arrange interviews with industry representatives that visit the Pullman campus.
To celebrate the No. 1 ranking, SHBM is hosting a March 10 reception honoring WSU Career Services at 4 p.m. in Todd Hall, Room 268. For more information, contact Anita Young in the SHBM office at (509) 335-5766.
