Marking a Milestone
Nearly 9,000 miles from Las Vegas, a group of students donned UNLV caps and gowns at a historic graduation ceremony.
The inaugural commencement marks a major milestone for UNLV Singapore, the university's first international campus, which is delivering the Harrah Hotel College's world-renowned brand of hospitality management education.
Thirty-four students received bachelor's degrees in hotel administration while seven earned executive master's degrees in hospitality administration during the ceremony this month.
"It has been an amazing experience to see the internationalization of UNLV's hotel college and to provide quality hospitality education in an area where it was not readily available," said Andy Nazarechuk, dean of UNLV Singapore. "The hospitality industry in Singapore is expanding quickly and Southeast Asia is becoming a more sophisticated travel destination. As the hospitality industry here continues to grow, so will UNLV Singapore."
Opened in August 2006, the campus is housed on the 10th and 11th floors of the National Library of Singapore, a building comparable to the U.S. Library of Congress. Now more than 200 students are enrolled in the undergraduate and graduate programs.
Partners in Education
UNLV Singapore has been such a success that the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) recently designated it as a center for Continuing Education and Training. UNLV Singapore now provides workforce skills to individuals seeking employment or advancement in several sectors of Singapore's hospitality industry. UNLV Singapore now offers Workforce Skills Qualifications diploma programs in:
- Tourism, with an emphasis on hospitality
- Food and beverage service
- Meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions
Despite the rapid growth in the hospitality sector in Singapore, the area has not been immune to the global economic downturn. As a result, the Singapore WDA also has partnered with UNLV to offer scholarships to professionals and managers recently laid off in other industries. The graduate-level program is designed to help them transition to new leadership roles in the hospitality industry.
Expanding the Brand
UNLV's success in Singapore is helping the hotel college's effort to expand into other areas overseas, particularly those with growing hospitality sectors. The university is in discussion with the United Arab Emirates to become the anchor tenant of a new 100-acre hospitality education campus in the emirate of Ras al Khaimah, located approximately 60 miles north of Dubai.
Related Information
UNLV Singapore
William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration
