Tulsa World: Tribe, OSU partner for hospitality degree

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Tribe, OSU partner for hospitality degree

By CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer
Published: 9/12/2008 2:06 AM
Last Modified: 9/12/2008 2:15 AM

Some Cherokee Nation Enterprises employees are literally learning a lesson at work.

The gaming and retail arm of the Cherokee Nation and Oklahoma State University are teaming up to offer a distance-learning master's degree program in hospitality administration, two firsts for the university.

The partnership will mark the first time a hotel and restaurant administration degree will be offered via distance learning and the first time OSU has partnered with a corporate entity to offer a degree program on-site.

Before its partnership with Cherokee Nation Enterprises, OSU did not offer any hospitality coursework outside of its Stillwater campus.

Part of the College of Human Environmental Sciences, OSU's School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration has 440 students in its undergraduate program and 65 master's and doctoral candidates.

So far, five Cherokee Nation Enterprises employees in Catoosa, Roland and West Siloam Springs are taking the remote class this fall using a teleconferencing format that broadcasts lectures live to the locations. The format allows the instructors and students at all locations to interact, Cherokee Nation Enterprises spokeswoman Amanda Clinton said.

The first classes were limited in size to test the interest in the program and work out the technical details, said Radesh Palakurthi, an OSU Hotel and Restaurant Administration professor and graduate coordinator who taught a prerequisite class to the students during the summer.

The number of

Cherokee Nation Enterprises participants likely will double for the next remote class offered, and administrators already are reviewing applications, Palakurthi said.

"It's outstanding," Palakurthi said of the partnership. "They are really a rapidly growing organization. We're really impressed how critical they think education is to their advantage. It's really a joy to work with someone like that."

With the job outlook for the hospitality industry showing promise in the state and nationwide, the classes give employees the opportunity to further their careers, said David Stewart, CEO of Cherokee Nation Enterprises.

"The program is a great opportunity because it opens doors for our employees to expand their education and career paths without having to leave their job or the community," he said.

"This partnership is another example of a state, tribal and business collaboration that is very effective in providing real solutions to tough challenges that are facing Oklahoma."

Clifton Adcock 581-8462
clifton.adcock@tulsaworld.com By CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer

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