New Mexico State University’s School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management has a new message for prospective students: HRTM graduates work in diverse fields, and you can, too – with an HRTM degree.
HRTM, housed in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, unveiled its new messaging campaign in a promotional video featuring a group of successful alumni working across different sectors – not just the hospitality industry.
“I think because we’re named so specifically, it gets lost that we offer a general management degree for complex businesses,” HRTM program coordinator Andrea Arrigucci said.
Arrigucci produced the video with HRTM Director Jean Hertzman, who served as the executive producer, to highlight HRTM graduates working in diverse fields.
“The video illustrates how HRTM’s focus on guest relations, managing and leading teams, and financial, marketing and organizational skills prepares students for amazing careers in hospitality and tourism as well as any business or organization competing for customers and funding or training the next generation of employees and managers,” Hertzman said.
The video, created in collaboration with a video production team from the Department of Innovative Media Research and Extension at NMSU, features interviews with six HRTM alumni, including April Anaya, Amy Miller, Gilbert Morales, Chad Smith and Danielle Young.
“We specifically chose someone in the culinary arts and someone who is a hotelier, but then we also featured alumni who highlight our connection to agriculture, nonprofits and education,” Arrigucci said.
Hertzman added, “We really appreciate the expertise of the ACES media team and the time spent by our alumni, staff, faculty and students to participate in the video.”
Financial support for the video project came from HRTM’s Marriot Hospitality Futures Center, a resource hub dedicated to fostering hospitality career development and promoting the importance of hospitality education. The center, funded through a $400,000 donation from the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, opened in February 2020.
Arrigucci said the video is part of a larger initiative to showcase the benefits of an HRTM degree by highlighting successful alumni.
“We are also hoping to do a series of videos on YouTube, and possibly on TikTok, featuring small vignettes of more recent graduates,” she said.
To watch the video, visit https://youtu.be/l-P5l4Js-6E.
To learn more about HRTM and its degree plans, visit https://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/shrtm/.