Six students from Niagara University’s College of Hospitality, Sport, and Tourism Management are headed to Dublin, Ireland, to get a firsthand look at the international hospitality industry through a weeklong study trip organized in partnership with Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), one of Ireland’s best-known institutions for hospitality education. The students depart on Saturday, Oct. 10, and return on Thursday, Oct. 15.
They will be accompanied by Professor Mike Jeswald and Dr. Brandi Guerinot, acting dean of the college.
The trip is connected to an international hospitality course taught by Jeswald. Through NU’s partnership with TU Dublin, students will tour luxury hotel properties, Dublin’s convention center, and the city’s tourism destination marketing office to see how a major international destination attracts and serves visitors. The trip will conclude with the students presenting their research on the importance of leadership and management in global hospitality to faculty at TU Dublin.
“Luxury hospitality is a global industry, and our students need to understand it from a global perspective,” said Jeswald. “This trip exposes them to the international hospitality industry firsthand as we prepare them for careers in luxury hospitality, and presenting their research to TU Dublin faculty gives them a chance to share what they’ve learned with leaders in the field.”
Participating students include:
- Allison Clark (Hamburg, N.Y.)
- Ashlyn Galeazzo (Jamestown, N.Y.)
- Tina Krajacic (Lancaster, N.Y.)
- Baileigh Racky (Hinsdale, Illinois)
- Alexis St. George (Grimsby, Ontario)
- Arabella Torrado (West Henrietta, N.Y.)
Experiential learning opportunities, at home and abroad, are offered regularly by NU’s College of Hospitality, Sport, and Tourism Management. For example, students have worked behind the scenes at the National Football League’s Super Bowl for 10 consecutive years, and have volunteered during Major League Baseball’s spring training and the NCAA Final Four. Niagara University offers undergraduate degrees in hotel and restaurant management, sport and recreation management, and tourism and event management. In addition, an M.S. in sport management is also offered to better prepare graduates for careers in the increasingly competitive sport and recreation industry.
