Meeting & Agendas

Meeting was called to order at 11:30 a.m.

Michelle welcomed all the attendees to the fall 2013 advisory board meeting and opens the floor to everyone as they went around the room and introduced themselves. Michelle also expressed her gratitude to the members for assisting with the programs throughout the year and introduced new members Stacey Hoyt and Andrew Zinni.

Michelle reported to the board that all classes within the program have been doing well at the Round Rock campus. Enrollment has been steady with an estimated 300 students. The highest enrollments are shown in the Hospitality program. Internships: Michelle announced that the internship program has been very successful for the meeting and event planning students. But the Hospitality students are being met with the challenge of not being able to find internships within a hotel. Discussions have taken place with other board members to try and come up with a solution. Michelle also shared that there is an issue with internships being paid or unpaid and trying to reach a common ground that will benefit all parties involved. She also announced that ACC as a whole is working with Disney and if they are selected, the students are given the opportunity to work with them for 6 months. Software: Michelle shared the success with the students using catering and sales pro. Both Michelle and Liz commented on how the students enjoy the experience. For the future, Michelle is waiting on the approval letter from a grant for her to purchase Room Viewer. Michelle also mentioned the grant she was awarded last year that enabled her to purchase IPads for the classroom. She gave each member an IPad and asked them to view the applications that she installed and make suggestions on what works for the industry. Suggestions for IPad Applications given by members were Notes, Ever Notes, UBER, and Open Table. Michelle announced that she applied for another grant that will allow her to purchase additional IPads for the students at the Round Rock campus. She also mentioned that she is still looking for a good POS training mode for the students. Currently the department takes the students to POS Solutions for exposure. Website: Michelle pulled up the new website for the members www.austincc.edu/hospmgmt/. She shared the new format and changes. The site includes the trip to Barbados that was a success for the students as they completed the study abroad course with instructor Karen Duncan.

Michelle provided all the members with a copy of the degree plan that she’s submitting changes for. The restrictive elective number 3 in the Hotel and Restaurant Specialization Associates degree for is the item up for discussion. Michelle proposed adding TRVM 2355 Expo and Tradeshow as an option for students to choose from. This change would eliminate the need for class substitutions. The members discussed the pros and cons to adding the course and it was voted unanimously to make the change and add TRVM 2355 as a selection for an elective. Course Schedule Change: Michelle also proposed another change to the members. She shared the challenge that prospective students are having with finding all the courses that are offered for the three programs available. She proposed lumping all three programs together in the course schedule menu so that all of the courses would appear on one page. The members agreed to try the change out for one year and identify if the change helps or continues to create challenges for the students. Etiquette/Protocol Change: Michelle shared the challenge the department is having with paying for the fee associated with the Etiquette and protocol class. Recently, the cost to offer the training class has increased. She is proposing to add a $25 lab fee to the class that can be paid with tuition. The members brainstormed on the issue and suggested presenting the class as an open ticket. In doing so, the class would be open to professionals at a higher cost and raise money for the program. This would change the class to a special event but allow the students to gain credit for the course. Travel Automation Change: Michelle shared the current format of the Travel Automation II listing and how it does not properly meet the need because it describes an advanced course. She is proposing to change the course to Travel Automation I that is defined as an introductory course in WECM. She is also proposing to change the total course hours to 64. The additional time would allow the students time in a lab to work on the software. The members voted unanimously to change the course to Travel Automation I. Information to Consider: Michelle shared with the members that Governor Rick Perry is working on a change that would impact the required hours in the Associate degree programs. He is proposing a reduction to 60 hours max for all Workforce based programs.

Michelle shared that Austin Community College has purchased Highland Mall and in the future there may be an opportunity for the department to acquire space and offer services based on the programs that are offered. She shared handouts with possible services identified from a poll such as travel consulting, mock hotel room, and other practice labs. Michelle asked the members their opinion on a performing arts center at ACC and if they see it as a need. Members shared that several other entities are building performing art centers around the city. They also shared that the space will need to offer something that people want or need such as workspace on demand and space for breakouts. Another idea was a space that allows students to physical experience what it means to flip a room and change the settings of a room for an event. Michelle mentioned having a focus group to identify need when the opportunity presents itself.

Nichole Golden presented information on the upcoming job fair for the students scheduled for October 29, 2013. Currently, 25 businesses have joined in and Nichole invited the members to participate if they are interested. . Liz Alexander is working on faculty coaching and presented information on the survey she sent out on October 2nd to industry professionals to identify how businesses hire the students and what are they looking for. She listed numerous entities she sent the survey to and she asked for additional contacts that she should use to gather more information.

Michelle shared that University of Houston will be opening a campus in San Antonio. Damon Holditch shared that a culinary school is opening in Fredericksburg and talked about the need to venture out to Fredericksburg for event possibilities and winery exposure.

Meeting Adjourned at 1:05 p.m.