BECAUSE of its “aggressive” networking, award-winning students, and faculty members with master’s degrees, the University has upgraded the three-year-old Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management into a college.
The creation of a new college was announced by Secretary General Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P. in a memorandum last Feb. 16, following the approval of the Board of Trustees in a meeting with the Academic Senate last Jan. 20.
“We are no longer the baby they see,” acting dean Cecilia Tio Cuison told the Varsitarian. “Our strength is the partnership with different local and international agencies, airlines, and hotels where the students are trained.”
The institute was carved out of the College of Education in 2006, in response to the tourism industry’s growing manpower demand.
Rooms for improvement
But Tio Cuison, who is also consultant of the Colegio San Juan de Letran in Manila and the Center for Culinary Arts, said the new college remains weak when it comes to research and facilities.
“We lack laboratories and classrooms, especially now that the new curriculum for tourism students requires culinary laboratories. We are negotiating with the College of Education regarding classroom usage,” said Tio Cuison.
Last year, the college had 7,874 applicants, but only 530 were admitted due to the lack of facilities.
The college has the second biggest number of applicants for the next academic year with 6,559 freshmen hopefuls.
“We want to grow, but our space would not let us do so,” Tio Cuison said.
Under the Commission on Higher Education’s Memorandum Order No. 30 issued in 2006, the College was allowed to offer certificate programs, enabling students who have finished at least a year of schooling in UST to seek jobs without completing the four-year course.
However, the new college encourages students to finish their courses, as they would have more job opportunities with a diploma.
The college boasts of tie-ups with foreign educational institutions. International educational affiliates include the Korea Tourism College, which sends exchange students to UST for short summer courses related to event management and tour guiding.
Tio Cuison said the college is also being tapped by two popular resorts to train their employees.
Moreover, the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation recently granted Level 2 reaccreditation status to UST’s Hotel and Restaurant Management course, and Level 1 for Tourism.
The new curriculum will be implemented this coming school year, offering basic culinary classes to tourism students.
