About Us

Mission Statement

The Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration is committed to academic excellence in the development of students for leadership roles in the hospitality industry. We prepare students for such positions by pursuing ethical, innovative and value-enhancing strategies in a culturally diverse and technologically advanced world. We serve our local, regional, national and international constituencies through research, teaching and outreach activities. The school achieves its mission by offering a relevant, up-to-date curriculum in a teaching and learning environment that emphasizes continuous improvement.

Cecil B. Day

The Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration is the oldest and largest program of its type in the state of Georgia. It is named in honor of the late founder of the Days Inn Hotel Company. His legacy of excellence serves as the foundation upon which the School of Hospitality Administration bases it vision for preparing graduates to be the next generation of hospitality executives.

Points of Pride 

• The school is the oldest, largest and only dual-accredited (AACSB and ACPHA) hospitality program in Georgia.
• The School of Hospitality is ranked among the Top 20 hospitality programs in the U.S. according to TheBestSchools.org.
• The School of Hospitality is ranked in the nation’s “Top 25” programs. Ranked by the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education, the school was #13 overall and #12 among public institutions.
• All hospitality faculties, full-time and part-time, have hospitality industry experience. Collectively, the faculty and staff have more than 375 years of hospitality and tourism industry work and teaching experience.
• The school’s Industry Board comprises more than 40 hospitality leaders from all facets of the industry. These leaders support the school through guest lecturing in classes, mentoring and hiring students and providing support with major school projects such as the Hospitality Learning Center inside the Georgia World Congress Center (the Phil Noyes Classroom) and the Culinary Learning Center (the George McKerrow Culinary Lab) located inside the Bennett Brown Building on campus.

Careers in Hospitality

Majoring in hospitality administration will prepare you for a career in the largest service industry in the world. There are career opportunities in every segment of this broad and diverse profession including:

Dr. Debra Cannon
Director of the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality
Associate Professor of Hospitality