BU School of Hospitality Administration Announces P.O.C. Ph.D. Pathway Program in Hospitality and Tourism Inaugural Conference – April 8-9, 2022
(March 7, 2022) Boston, MA – Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration (BU SHA) is proud to announce the inaugural P.O.C. Ph.D. Pathway Program in Hospitality and Tourism Conference, on April 8-9, 2022 at Boston University School of Hospitality Administration (928 Commonwealth Ave., Boston). This two-day conference launches an initiative to increase the diversity of faculty at university Hospitality programs throughout the country. The conference will provide pertinent information about a career in Hospitality academia to high-achieving students of color. For information and to register, visit POC Ph.D. Pathway Program | School of Hospitality Administration or contact Lauren McCabe, Administrator and Events Coordinator, lmccabe3@bu.edu or 617-353-3261.
The P.O.C. Ph.D. Pathway Program in Hospitality and Tourism is organized by a consortium of deans and directors of university hospitality programs and HBCUs nationwide to address the acute shortage of underrepresented minority faculty (Black, Hispanic, and Native American) in hospitality programs. The conference provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to learn from people of similar demographic backgrounds, meet potential mentors, and network with hospitality academics and administrators, particularly Ph.D. program directors and deans of hospitality programs.
“Our goal is to create a pathway for students from underrepresented groups to ascend into the role of tenured professors,” stated Dean Arun Upneja, of BU School of Hospitality Administration, who initiated this program in partnership with deans and directors of Hospitality programs nationwide, starting in 2020. “The potential of the P.O.C. Ph.D. Pathway Program extends much further beyond the halls of academia. Hospitality, as both a business and a pleasure, is integral to all aspects of our lives and livelihood. It is our responsibility to do everything we can to change our classrooms and our society to be diverse, equitable, inclusive, and most of all, antiracist.”
Black, Hispanic, and Native American peoples are dramatically underrepresented in hospitality doctoral programs. A survey of such programs conducted in early 2020 revealed that only 3% (5 out of 166) are people of color (POC); what is more, 11 of 14 programs surveyed had no POC candidates at all. It should come as no surprise that most major hospitality programs in the United States have very few, if any, POCs among their tenured/tenure-track faculty. Only 8.4% (13 out of 160) of tenured and tenure-track faculty at the top 20 programs are POCs, with 8 of the 20 programs having no POC faculty at all.
Business schools tackled this problem in 1994 with the establishment of the “Ph.D. Project,” which has helped over 1,200 POC students obtain doctoral degrees, increasing five-fold the number of POC faculty in business schools. The P.O.C. Ph.D. Pathway Program in Hospitality and Tourism aspires to lead a similar transformation for the profession of hospitality. To do so, the first step is to remove the biggest impediment P.O.C. candidates face when seeking a career as a faculty member: lack of knowledge and information about a career in academics. BU SHA dedicated the current edition of Boston Hospitality Review, the school’s monthly journal to this topic. Professors from underrepresented groups share personal stories about their Ph.D. Pathway. Richard A. Currie, Ph.D., Boston University School of Hospitality Administration, E’Lisha V. Fogle, Ph.D., The Collins College of Hospitality Management, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and James Arthur Williams, Ph.D., University of Tennessee, are among the authors in this special edition, who will also speak at the conference.
###
About Boston University School of Hospitality Administration: Established in 1981 and now celebrating 40 years of Innovating the Business of Hospitality, Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration (SHA) offers students a combination of rigorous academics, liberal arts curriculum, and international experiences for the pursuit of success in lodging, restaurants, food service, and other avenues of the hospitality industry. SHA has a unique relationship with the city of Boston, where the area’s hotels and restaurants provide students with numerous opportunities for internships to satisfy work experience requirements for their degrees. For more information about the powerful SHA undergraduate program, visit Boston University School of Hospitality Administration Undergraduate Program | School of Hospitality Administration and to learn more about the internationally recognized MMH program, visit Master of Management in Hospitality (MMH) Degree | BU SHA.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Email: aupneja@bu.edu
Office: 617-358-6744
Mara Littman, Corporate and Public Relations
Email: mlittman@bu.edu
Office: 617-353-4496