Ohio University has fearlessly decided to sponsor a trip to Las Vegas for hotel management students this summer; a venture that they hope won’t leave them loathing the decision.
A group of students interested in learning about casino management will join Patton College of Education assistant professor Alan Silver for a four-night trip to the Excalibur Hotel.
The trip will cost $1,424 per student, Silver said, for round-trip air and bus travel expenses, hotel, admission to several different venues and the cost of the course. It is open to students of all majors.
Casino management will likely become a track under the restaurant, hotel and tourism major at OU, he said.
Students must be at least 21-years-old to go on the tour, said Ann Paulins, chairperson in the department of human and consumer sciences. Otherwise, they would not have access to some of the learning opportunities, she added.
Apart from the students spending their time earning credit for RHT 290, there will also be free time for exploring the city on their own, Silver said.
“We don’t want to discourage students from having fun,” Paulins said. “We do, however, encourage responsibility.”
The focus, Paulins said, is that Las Vegas is home to a number of lucrative business enterprises.
The goal is to teach students how to manage hotels, casinos and restaurants, Silver said. Students will take tours of the front and back of the casino houses, have dinner with the Buca di Beppo family and meet with other prominent casino executives.
“The shops, restaurants and shows are some of the best in the world. Some people will go there and not gamble at all,” he said.
With this week’s opening of Horseshoe Cleveland, Ohio’s first full-service casino, Silver said he believes that it is important to teach students how to properly manage the businesses.
“If we can get them on site to the best well-established places, it will enhance their educational experience,” said Paulins.
bl171210@ohiou.edu
