TIM School

TIM School Assistant Professor, Xiaodan Mao-Clark, shares some of the value of having a travel credit card.

When School of Travel Industry Management (TIM School) assistant professor Adiyukh Berbekova arrived in Honolulu after earning her doctorate in hospitality and tourism management from the University of Massachusetts (UMass), she knew she’d landed in the perfect location for her academic interests. Berbekova’s research focuses on quality of life (QoL) and well-being as it relates to policies that can improve the tourism experience for all stakeholders.

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa faculty member has become the first U.S. recipient of the Asia Pacific Tourism Association (APTA) Founder’s Award, which recognizes a scholar or industry leader who has made significant lifetime contributions in advancing tourism research and/or industry practices in the Asia Pacific region.

School of Travel Industry Management (TIM School) alumnus Ren Hirose, BBA ‘85, is no stranger to supporting his alma mater. His latest gift of an endowed $50,000 scholarship, called the Ren Hirose Family Endowed Scholarship, adds to his contributions over the years to the college and its students. As a Maui native and Baldwin High School graduate, Hirose’s scholarship will preference students from Maui high schools to give them opportunities to attend the TIM School to prepare them for promising careers in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Hospitality industry leaders recently visited the classroom as panelists and reviewers offering their industry knowledge and feedback to TIM School professor Jerry Agrusa’s Food Service Management (TIM 313) students’ final course project presentations. Leaders from multiple segments of the hospitality and tourism industry including hotels, restaurants, private clubs, marketing firms and the transportation industry were represented and offered valuable, practical knowledge and feedback.