Hotel Management: Siksha O Anusandhan School of Hotel Management Date:   Thursday , January 22, 2015 The Hotel Management industry is expected to create more than 70 million jobs worldwide over the next decade. In this massive expansion, two-third of the job opportunities are expected to be created in Asia. However, the industry today lacked trained manpower to cater to this growing need. Keeping this in view, Siksha O Anusandhan University’s School of Hotel Management was established in 2004 to churn out professionals ready for the industry. Employment opportunities for the hotel management graduates are at an all-time high now and the industry seeks trained staff to meet the situation. Located in Bhubaneswar, SOA University has been declared a Deemed to be University by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India in 2007 with technical and professional programs duly recognized by the regulatory bodies. The University, having the freedom to make changes in the curriculum and courses, offers Doctoral Program in Hospitality Management, Masters in Hotel Management and Catering Technology, M.A/M.Sc. in Hospitality and Tourism Management and Bachelor in Hotel and Catering Technology, on an actively evolving pedagogy. The institute offers a choice based credit system which gives students the liberty to choose their own subjects for specialization. The standard curriculum for the Hotel management course is updated every 3 years to keep it up to date with the industry demands. The institute\'s curriculum is approved by the Academic Council of the institute on the lines of model curriculum of AICTE, which makes the hotel management program equivalent to that of other technical studies. SOA University is the only institute in Odisha that offers a four-year program in Hotel Management and Catering Technology, which is equivalent to an engineering degree in the technical education sector. The institute has been the recipient of several awards and highly ranked, twice by the Pioneer as well as the DNA, Competition Success Review and Sun Magazine. It is actively associated with programs of the Government of India and Odisha government with exposure to food courts and exhibitions. Industry Experienced Faculty Members To facilitate the industry oriented teaching methodologies, the management has concentrated on building a faculty pool with maximum industry experience. The University maintains a very close association with the industry. Many of the faculty members being from the industry, it is an added advantage for the students. At present, the institute has a blend of faculty members who are highly qualified having gained adequate experience in the industry. Among the faculty members of Hotel Management program, two have been awarded with Ph D while six others are currently pursuing Ph D with national and international level research publications. Other than in–house faculty members, the University invites many eminent persons from the industry to share their experiences and to motivate the students to attain the necessary exposure of the industry vertical. Being young and energetic, the teaching staff demonstrate the hunger to achieve excellence through various teaching methodologies like project-based learning, blend of theory and practical exposure, constant industry inputs by guest lectures and study tours. With internships and other pre-placement activities, School of Hotel Management ensures that capable hoteliers are produced by the institute. As a result, the institute\'s placement graph has been registering a steep rise as it has major business tie-ups with key organizations in the services sector like Park Hyatt, Zuri, Lemon Tree, Ritz Carlton, The Leela Palace, Oberoi Group, Le-Meridien, Pride Group of Hotels and various others. The students of School of Hotel Management have secured placements with packages as high as three lakhs. The University has plans to publish a research Journal in the field of Hospitality and Tourism of international standard by upgrading the existing Hotel/Tourism practices. Infrastructure - The Backbone Spreading its wings across a vast networked area of 32,000 square feet with over nine laboratories and a library that has over 4,000 books with the availability of e-journals, the institute provides infrastructural facilities that are industry invested. ICT Facilities like Smart Classrooms with Audio-visual Facility make up for a realistic teaching and learning experience at the institute. Over the years, the students of School of Hotel Management have participated in many events at state and national level and have won many accolades that add up to the institute\'s esteemed repute. It invariably renders the right set of opportunities for a Hotel and Hospitality aspirant to grow and progress on an ascending graph. Active Industry Participation The School of Hotel Management has active MOUs with Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) and Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India (HRAEI). Now, they are in the process of becoming a member of the apex body of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI).