Ithaca, NY, | The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and the Nanyang Technological University School of Business (NTU) in Singapore have agreed in principle to create a joint Master of Management in Hospitality program.

Pending final legal, regulatory, and academic approvals, The Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management will offer a 12-month graduate program accommodating up to 50 students per class, beginning in June 2005. Students will study at NTU’s campus in Singapore and at Cornell’s campus in Ithaca, N.Y., in an alliance that brings together the world’s leading hospitality management school and one of the elite business schools in Asia.

“The Cornell Hotel School is pleased to build a strategic partnership with one of Asia’s leading universities,” said David W. Butler, Dean of the Cornell Hotel School. “This program fits well with our strategy to increase our presence and impact on a global scale. Working together, we will build a curriculum that gives students a unique education and helps meet the need for leaders to support the rapidly growing Asian hospitality industry.”

This joint master’s offering is part of Cornell’s redesigned MMH program, running three semesters over 12 months. The program is accredited by the International Association for Management Education (formerly the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business). Cornell and NTU will provide an on-site dean, administrative staff and resident faculty. Joint Academic Committees and Advisory Boards will collaborate to manage the program.

The program comes as the hospitality industry undergoes robust growth in Asia. The increasing affluence of Asia’s middle-class populations, China’s entry into the World Trade Organization, and growing regional and global trade is driving increases in travel, tourism, and all related facets of hospitality.

“As Asia achieves unprecedented growth, we need to develop Asian hospitality leaders who can exploit opportunities created by this growth,” said Prof. Neo Boon Siong, Dean of Nanyang Business School. “The Cornell-NTU partnership will offer talented individuals the opportunity to learn from the experience of a renowned leader in hospitality, supported by Asian perspectives provided by NTU. With its broad reach, the Institute will make a positive impact on the overall growth and economic well-being of Asia. I anticipate that the Institute will set the standard for hospitality management education in this part of the world.”

The Cornell Hotel School, firmly established as a leader in teaching, research and industry service in North America, now has an ideal platform to extend its reach to Asia. “We will strengthen our teaching and research by enhancing faculty expertise in Asian business practices,” said Jan deRoos, the Hospitality Valuation Services International Professor of Finance and Real Estate at Cornell, who has been appointed to serve as the first dean of the joint program. “Our mission is to give students the best education in hospitality management, to conduct groundbreaking research on Asian business practices, and to engage industry leaders in mutually productive partnerships that move Asia’s hospitality industry to new levels of performance.”

CU and NTU have agreed to contribute US$500,000 toward a collaborative research fund to sponsor research projects for the Asian hospitality industry. A joint research board will be established to identify projects, review proposals, and approve disbursements. In addition, two newly endowed faculty chairs at Cornell will lead to high-caliber research emphasizing Asian hospitality management practices.

The prospective alliance has broad support among key constituents in Singapore, including NTU leadership; the Singapore Economic Development Board; the Singapore Tourism Board; and a consortium of industry leaders. This partnership would complement Singapore’s vision of becoming a world-class education hub, a vision aggressively pursued in recent years through alliances with several leading American business and medical schools.

The Cornell School of Hotel Administration is shaping the global knowledge base for hospitality management through leadership in education, research and industry advancement. The school provides management-level instruction in the full range of hospitality disciplines, educating the next generation of leaders in the world’s largest industry. Founded in 1922 as the nation’s first collegiate course of study in hospitality management, the Cornell Hotel School is recognized as the world leader in its field. For more information, visit www.hotelschoolcornell.edu.

Related