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Hanson Take the Reins NYU's Tisch Center has a new divisional dean. Industry icon Bjorn Hanson is taking charge and here are his plans for the hospitality program. Thursday, July 29, 2010 Glenn Haussman

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New York University has a new Dean in Town.

Industry icon Bjorn Hanson is officially taking the reins of the Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management as Divisional Dean this fall. It’s a great move for the school and one that Hanson says will finally get him into doing more of what he loves…and less of what he doesn’t: micromanagement.

“When I retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2008, I made the commitment to never be in a job with lots of administration. I don’t want to deal with HR problems, budgets, that sort of stuff. I have had enough of that and really prefer being in a position to make a difference,” said Hanson, who was with them for nearly 20 years, finishing his career as Global Industry Leader, Hospitality & Leisure.

It was during this time that Hanson become synonymous with the hotel business. And for most of his tenure, it was impossible to read any article in a major magazine or newspaper that didn’t rely on Hanson for his expertise and unique understanding of everything hospitality.

But Hanson also had a love for NYU, even earning his Ph.D. there. He also served as chair of the Tisch Center’s Advisory Board of distinguished industry leaders and shared his expertise in the classroom as a guest lecturer and adjunct faculty member. And for more than a decade, he has moderated the economists’ roundtable panel at the annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Conference. Once he retired from PwC, he joined the Tisch Center as a full-time professor.

Fortunately for the students in the NYU hospitality program, he has been making a difference ever since he joined the program, and now Hanson is looking to take the strong foundation laid by exiting dean Laila Rach and expand its influence in the hospitality and sports industries.

“What Lalia had created runs so well, it doesn’t require lot of time and effort. This will allow me to concentrate on other areas,” said Hanson.

Hanson said that it’s time for the 14 full-time faculty to dedicate more time to scholarly research. Already he’s seeking out ideas for research initiatives that can be overseen by the faculty and utilize the graduate students in the program. It’s a win-win-win. The students get an added layer of education, the faculty increases their expertise, and the Program will continue to gain momentum as a leader in the hospitality and sports businesses.

He said the Program will also seek out more industry engagement. That is, working with select organizations to become advocates for the school. These 20- 40 sports- and hospitality-related companies would provide site visits for students, guest lecture on their topics of expertise, sponsor research initiatives and fundraisers, and also provide a conduit for students to begin their careers as employees of some of these companies. “There will be a more coordinated effort of industry engagement for relationships,” said Hanson.

Hanson is also going to stay in the classroom and will teach freshman classes each year, and then again when they are seniors. He thinks it’s a critical initiative to add an extra level of meaning to the program.

“I want to get to know students as freshman by teaching an Intro to Hospitality course. Hopefully it will positively influence them from the start,” said Hanson, who will teach both in the fall and spring semesters.

He’ll also guest lecture on certain topics such as statistics and finance classes – his two specialties - to stay involved and to see the students in a classroom setting. Hanson also wants to be more involved with students through informal gatherings and invite small groups to have casual discussions in regards to the program and student life at NYU.

Though he will continue to have an industry presence at select conferences to maintain visibility for the Tisch Center, he’ll be spending most of his time working to enhance student services for placement and internships. “The goal is to make it easier for students to enter the workforce,” he said.

Another goal is to increase the student population while maintaining the school’s strict entry standards. And he’s considering adding more faculty, and is launching a marketing initiative to generate more applicants.

Finally, another exciting change coming next summer is the Tisch Center moving into its own space. The nearly 120,000 square foot building on the NYU campus is being entirely redesigned and reconstructed to provide a new home for NYU-SCPS – the school in which the Tisch Center resides. Within that facility, the Tisch Center will at last enjoy a comprehensive environment with offices for faculty and staff, student lounges, dedicated classrooms (including a small conference center), and easy access to a range of school-wide services. Of equal importance during the coming year, the School and Center are committed to implement plans to enhance career development support for students and alumni, foster collaborative research projects across the University and with industry, and expand the Center’s capacity for the bold curricular innovation for which it is known.