FIU Joins Partnership To Launch Hospitality School in Jamaica

FIU and partners present certificates for the Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart International School of Hospitality and Tourism. From Left to Right: FIU’S Dean of the Chaplin School Hospitality and Tourism Management Michael Cheng, FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg, Sandal’s Resort International CEO Adam Stewart, Vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Professor Hilary Beckles, and pro-vice-chancellor and principal of the UWI Dale Webber, establish the Gordon ‘Butch’ School of Hospitality after signing. / Image from FIU’s Hospitality School Media Presence.

Elena Key / Staff Writer

FIU recently partnered with leading hospitality institutions in the Caribbean to create a new school in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

The Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart International School of Hospitality and Tourism will be made in collaboration with FIU, Sandals Resort International – a Jamaican luxury resort network, and the University of the West Indies (UWI) Western Campus – where the school will be located.

Adam Stewart – executive chairman of Sandals Resort International, and FIU alum – invited FIU to join the partnership. He also serves on FIU’s Dean Executive Advisory Board.

“Now, together with powerhouses UWI and my alma mater FIU… we embark upon building the world’s premier institute for tourism, the Caribbean’s economic engine,” Stewart told FIU News. “This is truly a dream come true.”

The school is a tribute to Stewart’s father, Butch Stewart – founder of Sandal’s Resorts International, who passed away in January 2021.

It will host an international student exchange program to strengthen hospitality ties between Jamaica and the U.S., according to FIU’s Chaplin School Hospitality and Tourism Management Dean Michael Cheng.

“For FIU, it ties into the global mission of the university,” said Cheng. 

He said the main areas of study will include hospitality operations and attraction; and events management, based on UWI’s analysis of the needs in the region.

With a target date for admission starting Fall 2022, the program is likely to offer three-year degrees at the University of the West Indies, Cheng explained. It will also offer a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. 

“The students will have the option to pursue a second bachelor’s from FIU by completing an additional year, so they can meet all of our graduation requirements,” said Cheng. “Or they can do a two-plus-two program, so they can spend the first two years at UWI and then the second two years at FIU.”

FIU will not fund this program, but instead provide hands-on assistance in developing the courses. Sandals Resort, the Stewart Family Corporation and private donations will fund the institution, according to Cheng. 

“We’re [FIU] just providing expertise, as far as content creation and curriculum advice, because we have experienced doing this with our partners overseas already,” said Cheng.

While many details are not yet officially established, Cheng believes the international experience will help complete part of their degree in the other respective school.

“FIU students would be able to study in Montego Bay, Jamaica,” said Cheng. “UWI’s students will also be able to study at FIU, but at the moment, none of that is finalized yet.”

On Oct 29. a meeting was held at FIU’s Biscayne Bay campus (BBC) with all partners to plan the responsibilities of each institution.

“At the end of the day, we’re helping each other. It’s about helping raise the professionalism and preparing our next generation of graduates for the hospitality industry,” said Cheng.

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