The Center for the Advancement and Study of Tourism (CAST) was established in 1988 as part of the Governor\u27s economic development plan to stimulate tourism as a local and national industry. CAST was awarded a grant from the South Dakota Office of Economic Development to support the three primary Center activities: educational training, community outreach, and research. It is located at Black Hills State University and is funded by the state and by other grant monies

Landis, Larry M.

Zeiger, Jeffrey B.

English

Bowling Green State University: ScholarWorks@BGSU

Visions in Leisure and Business Volume 11 Number 4 Article 2 1993 Center for the Advancement and Study of Tourism Jeffrey B. Zeiger Black Hills State University Larry M. Landis Black Hills State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions Recommended Citation Zeiger, Jeffrey B. and Landis, Larry M. (1993) "Center for the Advancement and Study of Tourism," Visions in Leisure and Business: Vol. 11 : No. 4 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions/vol11/iss4/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Visions in Leisure and Business by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@BGSU. CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT AND STUDY OF TOURISM BY DR. JEFFREY B. ZEIGER, DIRECTOR AND DR. LARRY M. LANDIS, VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT AND STUDY OF TOURISM BLACK HILLS ST ATE UNIVERSITY 1200 UNIVERSITY SPEARFISH, SOUTH DAKOTA 57799-9674 ABSTRACT The Center for the Advancement and Study of Tourism (CAST) was established in 1988 as part of the Governor's economic development plan to stimulate tourism as a local and national industry. CAST was awarded a grant from the South Dakota Office of Economic Development to support the three primary Center act1v1ttes: educational training, community outreach, and research. It is located at Black Hills State University and is funded by the state and by other grant monies. INTRODUCTION The Center for the Advancement and Study of Tourism (CAST), located at Black Hills State University, was established in 1988 to meet the needs of the tourism industry by providing education and training as well and outreach services. The Center was initiated and funded as part of the Governor's economic development plan to stimulate tourism as a local and national industry. 4 The research arm of CAST extends to both applied and academic research. To date, the applied research conducted has been primarily recreation needs assessments and attitude surveys for cities in the South Dakota region and other forms of assistance to cities considering expansion of recreation and tourism services. Graduate students, in collaboration with faculty in the program, conduct the basic research. CAST serves as a clearinghouse of information on the tourism industry. A database established by the Center provides the community with access to a variety of tourism-related data. Other outreach efforts include the establishment of a Tourism and Natural Resources Consortium which brings together students, faculty, and professionals for resource sharing, professional development, and hands-on training. CAST's Tourism Advisory Board consists of industry leaders from both public and private concerns. Their responsibilities are predominantly to advise the Center's Director on potential funding sources, areas of research direction as identified by the industry, and service/educational programs deemed important for implementation. Through networking, external advisory boards are most helpful in the identification of future areas of concern within the tourism industry. The central focus for coordinating research, extension, and teaching programs related to tourism, travel, and recreation within the state of South Dakota mandated that cooperative efforts be undertaken to draw together the many disciplines and interests necessary to fully effect positive outcomes. The original goals of the Center were to: 1. Define travel in South Dakotathrough research. 2. Guide and inspire travel industrymembers with workshops, seminars, continuing education classes, retreats, and personal consultation. 3. Help shape the future of travel inSouth Dakota by providing a feasible, relevant CAST curriculum for students. The Center's major function as a research center was then broadened to include outreach and extension in education and public service acttv1ttes. With the expansion, additional goals were formulated to: 4. Act as coordinator of a reservoirof talent which may be called upon when there is a need for individuals with specialized training pertinent to the tourism industry. 5. Identify and develop a broadtourism and recreation resource research base to serve as a vehicle for assisting faculty across the state in higher education 5 and citizens in obtaining monies for projects. 6. Work with the South DakotaDepartment of Tourism in conducting and further developing public service programs concerning natural resource based recreation and tourism. The development will take place through seminars, workshops, etc. 7. Suggest guidelines and assist inthe development of high quality training for tourism personnel in South Dakota. 8. Work with the office ofContinuing Education and Extension at Black Hills State University in conducting and further developing public service programs concerning recreation resources and tourism. CAST, recognized by WICHE (Western Interstate Commis.sion on Higher Education) as an exemplary program and by the City of Deadwood's Gaming Industry as � marketin� research firm, has completed or participated in several projects, programs, and outreach activities. These include: 1. Tourism and Natural ResourcesConsortium II. Black Hills State University, Spearfish, South Dakota. May, 1992.2. Tourism and Natural ResourcesConsortium I. Black Hills State University, Spearfish, South Dakota. May, 1991.3. Dynamics and Diversity.Arlington: NRPA Publications. 1991.4. Black Hills of South Dakota;Great Faces Great Places. Elderhostel Program. 1990, 1991, 1992. 5. Rural Plannin� Guide;Distribution. Fall, 1992. 6. Hieh School Education inTourism. Northern and Southern Black Hills. Fall, 1992. 7. Tourism Curriculum Develo.pment. Savannah State College. Savannah, Georgia. November, 1991 -Current. 8. Tourism Plannin� andDevelo.pment. Gettysburg-Whitlock Bay Development Corporation. Gettysburg, South Dakota. March, 1992 - Current. 9. Recreation and TourismStandards for Land and Water Conservation Fund Criteria. Spearfish Recreation and Parks Department. Spearfish, South Dakota. 1990. 10. Recreation and TourismStandards for Land and Water Conservation Fund Criteria. Belle Fourche Main Street. Belle Fourche, South Dakota. 1989-1992. 11. Development of Tourism on thePine Ridee Indian Reservation. Oglala Sioux Tribe Parks and Recreation Authority. Kyle, South Dakota. 1989-1992. CAST has also been active in seeking research grants. To date, research grants totaling $93,291.50 have been awarded. These include: 1. Black Hills Heritaee Festival andFine Arts Fair. Black Hills Heritage Festival Board. Grant Amount: $450. Summer, 1992. 2. Visitor Intercept Study: StureisRally & Races. South Dakota Department of Tourism and Sturgis Rally and Races, 6 Inc. Grant Amount: $3,000. Summer 1992. 3. Homestake Natural History andCultural Center Feasibility Study.Homestake Natural History and Cultural Center. Grant Amount: $400. January, 1992 May, 1992. 4. Deadwood Historic Preservationand Marketin� Proeram. Deadwood Marketing Committee. Grant Amount: $32,000. 5. Deadwood Historic Preservationand Marketin� Proeram. Deadwood Marketing Committee. Grant Amount: $16,000. Summer, 1991 - Winter, 1991. 6. Historic Preservation andMarketine Proeram. Wilson Beaty and Associates, Incorporated. Grant Amount: $200. Summer, 1991. 7. Tourism Education and Trainin�.Qrant. Governor's Future Fund; Office of Economic Development. Grant Amount: $35,400. January, 1990 - August, 1991. 8. Devil's Tower NationalMonument. Wyoming Travel Commission. Grant Amount: $1,000. Spring, 1990. 9. Recreation Needs Assessment andAttitude Survey. City of Belle Fourche. Grant Amount: $1,941.50. Fall, 1989. 10. The Social. Economic. andEnvironmental Costs to South Dakota Gamine Community as Perceived by its Residents: Tourism Impacts on Deadwood South Dakota. Faculty Research Committee/Black Hills State University. Grant Amount: $2,000. Fall, 1989. SUMMARY A Center for the Study and Advancement of Tourism for Black Hills State University would assume educational, research, resource and service functions for the tourism industry. Outcomes would include graduates from comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs, participants from credit and non-credit programs, industry specific research outcomes of both a sponsored and an academic nature, and the availability of support services and facilitated resources for the industry. The Center should be staffed by a director and a staff of faculty most of whom who would share their appointments with other departments and divisions of the university. Students would have opportunity to develop their skills with the research and the resource and service units of the Center while the tourism industry would enjoy the fruits of their efforts. 7 The Center would provide the student with an unusual "hands on" opportunity through its resource and service functions. The Center program should be by students who would have the opportunity to work with practitioners in the industry, they would also have the opportunity to work with industries through the Center's internship program. The Center is an independent entity, along with the other divisions of the university. There are activities currently being pursued on campus that might be allied with the Center and provide the Center with an instant quality of dynamism. Among these are the Small Business Development Program, a successful program in Travel Industry Management, and a Research Institute comprised of seventeen interested faculty from Business, Education and Psychology, Fine Arts, Physical Education, Science and Mathematics, and Social Science. 

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