CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 10/14/21

UGA partnership prepares students to succeed in key Georgia industry

By Émilie Gille
Connor Logan meets with his mentor Taylor Garren inside the Georgia Center
Connor Logan (left), a fourth year hospitality and food industry management major, meets with his mentor Taylor Garren as a part of his event planning internship with the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. (Photo by Shannah Montgomery/PSO)

When Connor Logan graduates from the University of Georgia with his degree in hospitality and food industry management, he’ll have in-depth knowledge of his chosen field and hands-on experience in food and beverage service, front desk responsibilities, revenue management, and sales and events — all the critical elements of running a big hotel.

And he’ll have been paid for the experience, interning at the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel.

“I was able to spend time in several departments and get a good overview of what it takes to run a hotel,” said Logan, a fourth-year student who plans a career in hotel management.

UGA’s hospitality and food industry management major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) is a one-stop shop for academics and real world opportunities, ensuring that graduates not only know what they are supposed to do but how to do it. Their hands-on learning takes place at the Georgia Center, where they can experience all aspects of running a hotel, conference center and restaurants.

“Our role is to create opportunities for students to have an internship experience here early on in their studies, making it convenient for them to have a class and then work here,” said Stacy Jones, director of the Georgia Center. “Whether they’re assigned into a food and beverage, hotel, or special events internship, they are able to gain experience that they can add to their portfolio.”

John Salazar, a man in a suit and glasses, smiles in his professional headshot
Hospitality and food industry management coordinator John Salazar

Launched in 2019, the program had 79 students enrolled in fall 2021, well ahead of its three-year goal of 55 students.

The hospitality and tourism industry is the second largest economic engine in the state. It generated almost $69 billion in 2019, but was down by $2.8 million (16.8%) between February 2020 and May 2021 because of the pandemic. As the market rebounds, however, the businesses will need trained employees.

The internship program at the Georgia Center provides students with the opportunity to explore different aspects of the hospitality program and figure out where they want to focus. The students are required to complete 400 hours of internship credit as a part of the degree requirements of the program.

Georgia Center employees also join the students in the classroom, offering real data they can analyze and assess. For example, students in the hotel sales and revenue management class were able to review data collected before COVID that showed food costs and what was driving them higher. The students then developed three cost reduction strategies to share with the Georgia Center.

“With the hospitality and tourism industry being the second largest economic generator in the state of Georgia, being able to provide these educational opportunities and the opportunity to gain a hands-on understanding of industry nuances is a very important niche for us,” said John Salazar, coordinator of the hospitality program and associate professor in the CAES Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

Tyler Grace Hunt, a fourth-year student, was among the first students accepted into the hospitality program and in the first group of interns at the Georgia Center.

Taylor Grace Hunt helps a guest at the concierge desk of the Georgia Center.
Tyler Grace Hunt (left), a fourth year Hospitality and Food Industry Management major, helps a guest while working at concierge desk of the Georgia Center. (Photo by Shannah Montgomery/PSO)

“I started as an intern at the Georgia Center in the fall of 2020 and the hotel was actually closed (due to COVID,)” said Hunt. “But I still learned a lot and got to work with many different people throughout the departments here, which helped me in my next internship.”

From there, Hunt did a summer 2021 internship with the DeSoto Hotel in Savannah. This semester she is back at the Georgia Center working the front desk. She hopes to work at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel when she graduates.

Maya Dubos, in her first semester in the hospitality program, wasn’t eligible for an internship until she had taken two courses to introduce her to the major. So she took a job as a student worker at the Georgia Center, starting as a banquet manager. Dubos says she’s always been interested in event management and wanted to learn more about catering.

“Having the opportunity to gain work experience with a hotel on campus while getting my education is why the program appealed to me,” Dubos said. “They understand that you’re a student too and work with your schedule. Nowhere else are you going to find something like that, where they really want you to grow and learn and want you to do well after you graduate.”

“The Georgia Center is that feather in our cap,” Salazar said. “They provide our students with a deeper understanding of the hospitality industry and having that feather really does help us support our growth.”

Learn more about the hospitality and food industry management degree at agecon.uga.edu

Émilie Gille is the public relations coordinator for UGA Public Service and Outreach.

Authors:
Émilie Gille
Experts/Sources:
John Salazar
Georgia is consistently one of the top five states to use the H-2A visa program and depends on H-2A workers for 60% of agricultural jobs. CAES News
Journey to work 10/14/24 Emily Cabrera
On a farm in southwest Georgia, the rising sun is just beginning to shine upon acres of lush fall crops growing in neat rows. Migrant workers are hunched over, quickly picking the dew-covered leafy greens destined for grocery stores throughout the country. At the end of a hard day, they head home to a shared house that has been provided to them for the duration of their employment. The next morning, they will wake and return to the fields for another day of work in the elements and finish with a shared evening in the communal housing.
Helenedamage web CAES News
Hurricane Helene: Preliminary damage assessment on Georgia agriculture and forestry industry 10/10/24 Claire Sanders Kinnard, Matthew Agvent
Today, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, in coordination with Governor Brian P. Kemp, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), and the Georgia Forestry Commission, announced the preliminary estimate of Hurricane Helene’s economic impact on Georgia agriculture is $6.46 billion.
Most of Georgia’s vegetable crops are grown in the southern part of the state, which, similar to California, faces drought risks. However, as the climate warms, the area is expected to receive slightly more rainfall than usual, according to CAES economist Jeff Mullen. If vegetable production in California decreases and prices rise elsewhere, Southeast producers may consider shifting from row crop to vegetable production. CAES News
Georgia vegetable production may expand as a result of climate change 09/17/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Changing weather patterns are influencing cropping systems and where certain crops can be successfully grown. Researchers in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences recently published a study in the journal Sustainability examining the feasibility of expanding fresh vegetable production in Georgia as increased temperatures and more frequent and extreme droughts threaten producers in the Western United States.
Yangxuan Liu, associate professor of agricultural and applied economics, reflects on her journey from medicine to agricultural economics. Her work supports farmers across Georgia while also empowering residents in her local community of Tifton. CAES News
CAES economist recognized as emerging leader for work supporting farmers 09/09/24 Claire Sanders Kinnard
For Yangxuan Liu, her career as an associate professor of agricultural and applied economics feels like equal parts coincidence and fate. “I was initially involved in agriculture because of my family farm in China. During breaks from school as a child, I would go visit my grandparents and work in their fields where they grow corn, wheat, cotton and other crops. This really gave me respect for the value of working the ground,” Liu said.
Nino Brown stands in front of a peanut field holding up a red net bag of harvested peanuts above his head as he speaks to participants in the Georgia Peanut Tour in 2022. CAES News
CAES experts study oil production to boost Georgia’s peanut power 09/05/24 Maria M. Lameiras
A new study by experts in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is seeking to increase the value of Georgia’s peanut crops for new markets while reducing losses caused by aflatoxin, a consistent threat to the No. 1 peanut-producing state in the United States. The four-year, $490,000 grant will take a systems-based approach toward developing high-oil peanut varieties bred to withstand the unique climate and pest pressures of the Southeast.
CAES AgFellows April 2024 SeanMontgomery 1 CAES News
Congressional Agricultural Fellowship offers students a look behind the political curtain  09/04/24 Liz Newlin
The Congressional Agricultural Fellowship is a transformative program for students in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, offering unique opportunities to engage with the legislative process and gain practical experience in agricultural policy. In partnership with the offices of U.S. representatives Sanford Bishop, Austin Scott, Buddy Carter and Raphael Warnock, CAES offers a prestigious 12-week summer fellowship program that provides selected students with firsthand exposure to the legislative process and the creation of agriculture policy.