GRAND RAPIDS – Grand Valley State University is expanding class offerings to help its students find their footing in the cannabis tourism and hospitality industries after graduation.
Starting this fall, GVSU’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program will offer more courses for students to take to earn a specialized badge, certificate or minor in cannabis operations.
Affiliate professor John Lipford says the concept started out as a single course in 2019. He was blown away by the amount of interest.
“I proposed to my colleagues in hospitality and tourism management a proposal based on a course for cannabis regulations and tourism. At the time it was the first course in the U.S. that was focused on cannabis tourism as a burgeoning industry and as a growth sector to the cannabis industry itself,” Lipford told News 8. “Once that was offered, I mean, it filled within a week — 40 students from all different disciplines at the university.”
The nine-credit badges and 15-credit certificates are open to any GVSU students, but courses required for the 20-credit minor are only available for students enrolled in a degree program.
Lipford says 80% of the seats are already filled for three new classes — “Cannabis and Culture,” “Cannabis Regulations and Tourism” and “Responsible Cannabis Operations.”
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