UNLV and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) announced plans today to move forward with establishing the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration's first international campus. Singapore's Ministry of Education recently approved UNLV Singapore formally as an Institute of Higher Education. Starting next month, UNLV Singapore will begin accepting applications online for enrollment in its first classes, scheduled to begin in Sept. 2006.
In Sept. 2005, the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents unanimously approved the university's request to hire the first group of instructors for the UNLV Singapore campus. Dr. Andy Nazarechuk, assistant professor with UNLV's Hotel College, will serve as dean in the new hotel administration program. "UNLV is excited to establish its first international campus," he said. "UNLV Singapore's goal is to create a world class educational facility that will inspire students to live up to high standards."
The 12,000 square foot campus will be housed on the tenth and eleventh floors of the National Library of Singapore, a prestigious building comparable to the United States Library of Congress. The campus will offer a bachelor's degree program in hotel administration and hospitality management and an executive master's degree in hospitality, and also provide students with a variety of overseas internship programs, including some based in Las Vegas.
Stuart Mann, dean of the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, said Singapore provides an ideal setting for the college's first international campus. "The proximity of Singapore to China and other Asian nations makes it the ideal place for our hospitality management programs, as Asian tourism increases dramatically over the next 10 to 20 years," he said. Cornell University, Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are a few of the other institutions organizing programs in Singapore.
Construction of UNLV Singapore is set to be completed in May 2006. A grand opening celebration is scheduled for Aug. 2006, before classes begin in September.
<b>**Editors Note: Photos Available Upon Request</b>
