It’s already September. The first round of exams, papers and presentations has come and gone. Meanwhile, students scramble about, trying to decide whether or not to drop classes or hold onto them for the long haul.
But where do those frantic-eyed students turn when they need direction? Advisers. More specifically, if they’re students with the School of Hospitality Business Management, they turn to Kevin Bennett, academic coordinator to undergraduate students.
“Advising is fun, exciting and eye rolling,” Bennett said with a mischievous smile. “But the eye rolling is all done in a loving manner. And the chaos is worth it.”
The first weeks of fall semester typically are busy, he said. Advisers call this time period “reactionary management;” as in, advisers reacting to the masses of students who forgot to resister into classes, or who have problems with overlapping schedules, internships and, above all, grades.
The College of Business does not participate in group or mass advising, Bennett said, because the one-on-one mentoring gives students the individual attention they need to ask questions and bond with staff members. Without one-on-one mentorship, students are forced to compete with one another simply to receive help.
Bennett is also an instructor for two one-credit courses HBM 182 and HBM 320 that familiarize students with the hospitality business management industry.
Although it’s rare to have staff members teach, Bennett said he works to be creative in approaching his multiple responsibilities. The courses run approximately seven weeks and teach preparatory skills for internships, resume writing and interviewing skills, he said.
Bennett received his master’s degree in educational counseling and psychology at the University of the Pacific in California. He came to WSU in 1992 as assistant director of career services and in 2002 began his teaching and advising career.
He is also a professional member of the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education and faculty advisor for Sigma Iota Hospitality Association.
“Life is good here,” Bennett said. “We have a mission to make students successful, let them grow and get ‘em through.”
