Eric D. Olson, Ph.D., will serve as interim dean of the Metropolitan State University of Denver School of Hospitality upon the departure of Dean Christian Hardigree J.D. on June 30.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Dr. Olson’s caliber to serve as the interim dean,” said Provost Alfred Tatum, Ph.D. “He received overwhelming support from the School of Hospitality to maintain the momentum and elevate the aims of the faculty, staff, and students. I am excited about his depth of knowledge, expertise, and commitment to lead the school.”
Olson joined the University as the inaugural chair of the Rita and Navin Dimond Department of Hotel Management in MSU Denver’s School of Hospitality last July and has established himself as an educator, leader and scholar. He has more than 20 years’ experience in hospitality, tourism, event planning and higher education and was recently recognized with a lifetime– achievement award from the Professional Convention Management Association. His areas of educational expertise include customer service; service failure and recovery; LGBTQ tourism and events; hospitality; and event management. He has also published extensively in top academic journals such as Tourism Management, Annals of Tourism Research and the Journal of Convention and Event Tourism.
“I’m thankful for the leadership of Christian E. Hardigree for these past few years,” Olson said. “I look forward to building on her legacy in advancing the School of Hospitality to be the No. 1 hospitality school in the country. My leadership style is servant leadership: being of service to others, prioritizing students, faculty/staff and other stakeholders. I also bring in a little Disney magic to foster an environment that ensures that our students have the best educational and experiential experiences, and that our faculty/staff are developed to their full potential.”
In addition to accepting the role of interim dean, Olson recently won a teaching-and-research award to assist VinUniversity in Hanoi, Vietnam, with developing its hospitality-management program next spring. He will be based in the College of Business and Management, collaborating with faculty members and students on a research project in marketing services and tourism and engaging with tourism stakeholders regarding outreach opportunities. He will share his experiences with MSU Denver by adding modules in international tourism to courses and creating exchange experiences between faculty members and students at VinUniversity and MSU Denver.
As the hospitality, tourism, event, hotel, brewery-operations, and outdoor-recreation industries continue to rebound from the pandemic, Olson is focused on preparing students for leadership roles in an exciting and dynamic industry with vast opportunities.
“I aim to continue to build our School of Hospitality culture, focus on the student experience, and engage with our internal and external stakeholders,” he said. “I also hope to collaborate with our departments on campus since hospitality and tourism is a multidisciplinary field. This will be accomplished by aligning the School of Hospitality’s strategic plan with MSU Denver’s 2030 Strategic Plan.”
Olson received his Ph.D. from the University of Central Florida, MBA from Stetson University and BBA in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His academic career includes appointments at Iowa State University, and his industry experience includes working at the Walt Disney World Resort.