June 15, 2001 UNT Inhouse publication: New merchandising, hospitality management dean fostering growth, cooperation with industry

homepage

New merchandising, hospitality management dean
fostering growth, cooperation with industry

Judith Forney, professor of merchandising, created a spirit of growth and cooperation with industry as interim dean of the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management.

As the new permanent dean of the school she wants to expand that spirit.

During her term as interim dean, Forney initiated numerous innovative programs in collaboration with the hospitality and merchandising industries. One of her most recent ventures provided UNT's online merchandising degree to the federal employees of the Army Air Force Exchange Service on U.S. military bases around the world. She also oversaw the development of the online merchandising degree, which is the first of its kind in the nation, as well as an online degree in hospitality management.

Forney played a key role in building a partnership with J.C. Penney Co. Inc. to establish the UNT Campus Catalog — a student-run catalog store on campus created as a prototype retail lab.

She also developed an interdisciplinary program combining a master of business administration degree with master of science degrees in hospitality management and merchandising.

In the future, Forney hopes to create a bachelor of science program in electronic merchandising.

"This program addresses an industry need to have qualified employees who understand how to merchandise products in a virtual environment," Forney says. "Since merchandising is the profit center of product-driven businesses, this has become a critical area for virtual businesses."

And because of the growing trend merging entertainment and shopping, Forney plans to start a Center for Consumer Experience Studies. She says there is an increasing need for hospitality and retail businesses to offer a "consumption experience" to keep customers.

"We see this in retailers such as Barnes and Noble with their Starbucks or Barnes and Noble Coffee Shops, themed entertainment-driven malls, the increasing evidence of tangible take-away products (for example. apparel, food, home furnishings) offered by restaurants, etc.," Forney says.

She says the center will support researched programs that increase the understanding of real and virtual consumer experiences and study ways to integrate consumer experiences across the hospitality and retail merchandising industries.

Forney plans to maintain the growth and innovation the school has demonstrated over her last three years as interim dean. Thanks to the strength of the faculty in both the hospitality management and merchandising divisions, she's confident that the school will exceed her expectations.

"As a school, we seek to be relevant, innovative and applicable in what we do — this requires that we continue our spirit of collaboration with industry," she says. "This has been our strength. I'm most impressed with the efforts of our faculty to make sure our school offers high-quality programs and services to our students."