The SHTM celebrated its 40th anniversary by hosting a gala dinner at Hotel ICON, the SHTM's world-class teaching and research hotel, on 20 September 2019. Nearly 400 guests from around the world attended the
"Splendid 40 Years" event.
In his welcome address, Professor Philip Chan, Deputy President and Provost of PolyU, said that 2019 represents a special milestone for the SHTM. The SHTM and PolyU are celebrating not the mere passage of time, but the vision and scale of achievement that have gone into creating a world-leading centre of education and research excellence that continues to set new standards for advancing knowledge and serving the industry. Professor Chan has
full confidence that the School will achieve even greater global excellence and continue to lead development in the field in the years to come.
The SHTM was founded 40 years ago, in 1979. From its humble beginnings as a diploma-conferring department, it has risen to the forefront of hospitality and tourism education not only in Asia, but also worldwide. The SHTM lives by its motto of "Leading Hospitality and Tourism", setting itself apart from other hospitality and tourism educational
institutions by consistently being ranked number one in the world.
In its pursuit of excellence, the SHTM places great emphasis on innovative research and encourages a robust research culture amongst its international faculty of more than 70 academics from 21 countries and regions globally. In the current academic year, more than 1,400 students from around the world enrol in the School's programmes, which range from undergraduate to doctoral level.
The upscale Hotel ICON, which opened in 2011, is the centrepiece of the SHTM's educational and research model. This unique purpose-built and purpose-driven hotel not only supports the School in nurturing a new generation of passionate, pioneering professionals who will become leaders in hospitality and tourism, but also enables SHTM faculty members to conduct in-depth research for the advancement of the global industry.
At the heart of the SHTM's success are its invaluable
partnerships. The School continuously strives to forge strong synergies between the University, its students and staff members and the industry, and takes pride in its strong connections with the community, business and academia.
These impressive developments are the result of the very hard work of our SHTM and Hotel ICON colleagues. They would not have been possible without support and guidance from PolyU, members of the School Advisory Committee, the School Industry Advisory
Committee, the industry and SHTM alumni. As the School bids farewell to the last 40 years, it sets its sights on achieving further global excellence in the field over the next four decades.
|
|
