Hawaii is one of the top tourism destinations in the world — which gives the University of Hawaii every reason to strive for excellence in its industry workforce development and executive education.

That was the path it was following when the Travel Industry Management (TIM) School became autonomous in 1991, and the hope was that it could capitalize on its own cachet and independence.

Unfortunately, the industry landscape, and higher-education economics, have changed somewhat in the intervening quarter-century. TIM is no longer within the front ranks of hospitality schools, a sector that has become increasingly competitive. And budgetary concerns have driven UH officials to search for more efficient ways of delivering what students need in this critical field.

As a result, there does seem to be cause to seriously consider a merger with the UH Shidler College of Business Administration as a means to reinvigorate the tourism- education program.

And that’s the approach UH officials are directing for further study. In a May 16 memo, they announced the intent “to develop a full proposal to combine TIM with Shidler and proceed with formal consultation on that proposal.”

This recombination idea emerges not in a vacuum but in the context of a larger effort by the UH administration to rethink how its mission is best fulfilled.

For example, said UH spokesman Dan Meisenzahl, the administration also is looking at proposals to move the School of Architecture within the College of Engineering, and to relocate the School of Pacific and Asian Studies and various small programs to a new liberal arts college to be created.

And in that context, advocates for some of the affected programs have aired concerns about a potential loss of focus, worries that programs that should be centers of excellence for Hawaii, could be flattened to fit within a more generic academic setting.

That outcome certainly is something UH must guard against, and officials have said they are primed to do so.

Looking specifically at the TIM case, the administration seems acutely aware of issues it must navigate.

This is the latest bid to merge the school back within the business college, as it had existed originally. On various occasions, including a 2011 proposal, there was pushback from those on campus as well as from industry representatives who thought students would not benefit. The ideal, argued those resisting in 2011, is an autonomous institute that can respond more nimbly to changing industry needs and draw more attention and donor support, especially across Asia.

But the current memo — co-signed by David Lassner, UH president and Manoa campus interim chancellor, and Michael Bruno, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs — asserted that TIM’s “sterling reputation has diminished.” In several ratings issued for schools of hospitality, TIM is not ranked at all; in one, it comes in at No. 33.

That does bolster the administration’s argument that a new course is essential to success. As things stand, even Chuck Gee, the noted dean emeritus for the school, said the change is inevitable because TIM lacks the resources even to hire a permanent dean with visitor-industry ties.

Lassner and Bruno cited Shidler’s strength in developing graduate programs, which could benefit TIM, among the talking points. That, and the business college’s more robust alumni relations capacity which could increase philanthropic support, added persuasiveness.

The officials pointed to other, highly ranked hospitality schools that are themselves part of a business college. To replicate that success in Hawaii, though, the TIM program will require sustained support so it can regain its luster. That is the commitment UH owes to this venture.