Rick Merriman’s wealth of Disney experience helps shape next generation of tourism professionals at UF

Now, he’s come full circle. Merriman returned to his alma mater in June of 2026, when he became an adjunct professor teaching Tourism Development and Planning for UF’s online master’s program in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management. Merriman retired from Disney in August of 2025 and brings a wealth of immediate, real-world experience to his virtual classroom.

“There was a little trepidation at the beginning, because I’d never taught in a formal academic setting,” Merriman said. “And then there was the fully online aspect of it—I’m kind of an extrovert, and I love direct engagement with people, and I wondered, how is this really going to work online?”

As he did throughout his career, Merriman found an answer. He spent a few weeks retooling the curriculum to be more interactive, adding elements to reflect the true nature of tourism careers. He leveraged educational technology like Yellowdig, a social media-style platform, to spur his students to interact with one another, bringing the online class to life in the process.

“I find it very energizing,” Merriman said. “This isn’t about learning formulas or historical facts because the nature of tourism is more of an art than a science in some respects. The industry is all about relationships. But it’s been a real payoff for me now that we have this interaction, and the feedback I’ve received from students is that they really appreciate the ‘real-world’ perspective that I’ve brought to the content.”

Power of persuasion 

In his final role at Disney, leading the company’s consumer insights division, Merriman sought a broader view of the tourism industry in Florida beyond Disney itself. So, he joined the board of the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute, which is based at UF. Through that involvement, Merriman began advising Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management program chair Dr. Rachel C.J. Fu on a prospective curriculum for a tourism program at UF’s Jacksonville campus.

Soon, Dr. Fu came to Merriman with a question: would he be interested in teaching an existing online course as an adjunct professor? After all, Merriman had done everything in 35 years at Disney: marketing and sales, human resources, customer relationship management, revenue and profit management, ride and show engineering. And he came to learn that one skill is required above all in the tourism industry: persuasion.

“Don’t get me wrong—you’ve got to understand the basics of the business, and the math has to work,” said Merriman, who earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering. “But at the end of the day, it’s a lot of pitching ideas. Like, ‘Here’s why I think your airline should introduce a new flight into my community.’ It’s all about being persuasive and being able to pull together a compelling story and the right statistics to persuade the stakeholder that your proposal is one they should pursue.”

That emphasis is clear in Merriman’s course. The final grade in his class depends on a project proposal and presentation, in which students try to sell him on their destination, resort, museum, festival, or technology related to tourism. The final presentation is 10 to 15 minutes, “because in the real world, that’s what you get,” Merriman said.

“You don’t submit a 10,000-word white paper with 48 footnotes and graphics,” he added. “The people you’re trying to persuade typically don’t have that kind of attention span.”

Bridging the distance 

In Merriman’s short time teaching at UF, the reach of online education has been evident. One of his students was in Greece, another is taking the class while traveling the country in an RV. Use of platforms like Yellowdig bridge the distance, and any hesitancy that Merriman had about teaching an online, asynchronous course quickly melted away.

“One of the best pieces of advice I received was to set up simple assignments the first week, so I had them introduce themselves,” he said. That gave them a chance to understand how the tools work, and I was able to start building relationships by providing feedback on assignments.”

Merriman’s students run the gamut, from those coming straight out of undergraduate education, to those trying to expand opportunities in the industry, to those looking to make a career change. Some have other responsibilities, like jobs and children. Merriman said he tries to offer personalized feedback, tailoring communication with each student based on their situation in life.

“People in tourism come from all different backgrounds,” Merriman said. “That’s one thing I love about it—it’s a very eclectic, highly varied set of backgrounds and perspectives that are unified by a passion for travel and service and hospitality.”

About the online Master of Science in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management 

The 100 percent online  Master of Science in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management program is designed for working professionals and those just getting started in their careers. Using real data from top industry experts, graduate students develop resource-based views and comprehensive strategies for managing and leading tourism, hospitality and event organizations.

The program allows you to earn your degree and apply what you learn in the classroom to your current and future work environments. Students will also obtain a holistic perspective of environmental concerns that impact visitation to sensitive areas, including how to build sustainable initiatives into a business model and how to use unique faculty-developed tools to better respond to these issues. Ignite your tourism, hospitality and event management career with our streamlined admissions process.