Cedar Fair, BGSU partner to offer ‘Resort and Attraction Management’ degree

Kings Island held an opening ceremony and ribbon cutting Friday, April 29, 2022 in celebration of their 50th Anniversary. NICK GRAHAM/FILE

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Kings Island held an opening ceremony and ribbon cutting Friday, April 29, 2022 in celebration of their 50th Anniversary. NICK GRAHAM/FILE

Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which owns Kings Island amusement park, and Bowling Green State University are now offering a four-year college degree for people who want to manage large entertainment businesses.

The degree is for “Resort and Attraction Management,” or “RAAM,” Cedar Fair said in a news release. It is a Bachelor of Science degree.

“Running a major amusement park is like running a small city, and a formal education that covers the specialized skillsets required has been almost nonexistent—until now,” it said.

The partnership involved developing a campus in downtown Sandusky, a first-of-its-kind in North America, according to Cedar Fair.

“.BGSU facilitates the program ... and Cedar Fair provides hands-on co-op experiences, training and opportunities to gain industry experience and fulltime employment. From this partnership, highly trained talent emerges,” Cedar Fair said.

Students who attend will complete general education requirements at BGSU or any other 2- and 4-year accredited college. The third and fourth years will be spent living and working at the new Sandusky facility.

“Led by BGSU faculty, the classroom curriculum is a combination of management-focused content as well as guest lecturers from industry leaders. These professionals provide insights and knowledge to supplement textbook theory and share real-world application and context,” Cedar Fair said.

Students will have the opportunity to fulfill two paid co-op experiences at Cedar Fair parks throughout the U.S. The experiences will include certifications and networking with Cedar Fair management.

“Additional professional development will be offered with a focus on preparing students for full-time employment opportunities upon graduation,” Cedar Fair said.

For more details go online to cedarfair.com/partner/bgsu-raam.

Cedar Fair announced this week its earnings in 2022 proved to set a record for the company. It reported having strong cash flows and returns for investors.

““We achieved the highest levels of revenues, net income and Adjusted EBITDA(1) in Cedar Fair’s history, and returned approximately $220 million of capital to unitholders in 2022, through the reinstatement of our quarterly cash distributions and the implementation of a new unit buyback program,” said Cedar Fair President and CEO Richard A. Zimmerman.

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