Preparing students for leadership.
Mentoring thousands of students in the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration in Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business is icing on the cake for Director Debby Cannon, Ph.D., who received the 2022 Georgia Restaurant Association Crystal of Excellence (GRACE) Lifetime Achievement Award. Cannon exudes excitement when she talks about the growth of GSU’s hospitality program that will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. It grew from a two year program on the downtown campus to offering a master’s degree in Global Hospitality on the Buckhead campus for which she secured permanent financing.
“Atlanta has more franchising headquarters than any city in the U.S., and opportunities abound for so many other facets of the industry,” she says. “I always ask students, ‘What do you really love doing?’ and then list the career paths: franchising, hotel management and development, restaurants, real estate, sales, convention and visitors bureaus, catering and sporting events. All have top level leadership opportunities.”
The program offers internships and is one of the few in the nation to have dual accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration.
ROBINSON COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
robinson.gsu.edu
@robinsoncollege
