Assessing career value of hospitality management curriculum from program alumni

The purpose of this study was to investigate the assessment of hospitality management baccalaureate program alumni from New York Technical College (NYCTC) as being a valuable resource to the Hospitality Management curriculum assessment effort . Through the development of an alumni questionnaire, participants in this study were asked to rate individual courses of their curriculum (both core and elective) by the degree of value each course had been in terms of usefulness to their career development and/or relevance to meeting the demands of their current positions. Although the questionnaire response rate was less than desirable, it is stressed that survey instrument results are most valuable when they inspire those responsible for curriculum assessment to engage in dynamic dialog and on going reevaluation. This is especially of interest and of potential value when program alumni -- who can offer dual perspectives on industry trends (patterns of change) and who are experientially familiar with program curriculum content -- are incorporated into this process. This dynamic viewpoint may offer unique perspectives to consider in the curriculum planning and assessment processes