Ajay Aluri
John Chambers College of Business and Economics
Since hospitality and tourism management is an industry-specific field of study, every student who majors in this program should be able to track their degree into a career path.
“If you are a people person, if you love to travel, or if you would like to work in a dynamic environment, where every day presents new challenges with new customers, then hospitality is for you.”
His teaching philosophy is that students are best prepared for life after the classroom by getting learning experiences with actual businesses while they are in school.
“I incorporate real-world projects into the curriculum that tackle issues faced by hospitality and tourism businesses today, so that students can get hands-on problem-solving experience in this competitive, rapidly changing field.”
“It is vital for students to use technology and to understand its impact. My goal is to take their skills to the next level and help them understand strategies to integrate technology as needed.”
Aluri is founding director of WVU’s Hospitality Innovation and Technology (HIT) Lab, where he and his students use, develop, and test emerging technologies. They also use real-life data and social media applications in class to help businesses in the community.
He says it is also vital that students begin to network, because networking will enable them to learn from leaders, experts, and successful people in the industry.