FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY®

Tens of Thousands Register for Free Online Certificate from FAU Hospitality and Tourism Management Program

MEDIA CONTACT: Paul Owers 561-379-8597, powers@fau.edu

Typing on laptopBOCA RATON, Fla. (April 7, 2020) – It started as a grassroots effort by Florida Atlantic University’s nationally ranked Hospitality and Tourism Management program, within FAU’s College of Business, to offer a free online certificate to workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic. But word quickly spread and nearly 58,000 people from 146 countries signed up, underscoring the global reach of the industry and the sudden need for remote learning.

FAU’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program, ranked by The Best Schools as one of the top 30 hospitality programs in the United States, has offered the certificate for more than 10 years at a cost of $900 per participant, but FAU is waiving all fees to help workers weather this unprecedented period.

Participants who complete the five sessions in April will boost their resumes and stand out in what almost certainly will be a crowded job market once the crisis ends, according to Peter Ricci, Ed.D., director of FAU’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program. “Employers will be looking for the cream of the crop, and they’ll have the ability to pick the best candidates,” Ricci said.

The five sessions include hospitality law, career competencies, marketing and revenue management, finance fundamentals and service excellence. Those are the key areas covered by hospitality and tourism students who pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration from FAU.

The certificate can benefit hourly associates, supervisors and executives who work in hotels, restaurants, cruise lines, casinos or for any service-oriented business.

More than 100 million hospitality and tourism workers worldwide have been laid off or had hours reduced as the pandemic spread across the globe. Continuing their education will keep them focused on something positive during a stressful and uncertain time, according to Ricci.

“The tone of the emails has been so, so gracious,” he said of the participants. “People said, ‘We’ve never had the time to do this.’ Well, now is the time.”
Sessions will begin on April 9 and must be completed by April 30, though the coursework will be recorded for viewing at any time during that period. Attendance and progress will be measured by short quizzes after each session.

Registration has ended, but those interested can click here to add their names to a wait list for a second offering. Anyone who registers for the wait list will be notified when those dates are determined.  

FAU’s College of Business and its Executive Education programs recently were ranked No. 1 in Florida by Financial Times.

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About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit fau.edu.
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