“A phenomenal number of well qualified candidates applied for the Master of Management in Hospitality program this year, allowing us to increase our intake for the program. The MMH ’09 cohort is comprised of the best candidates who have gone through a rigorous screening process. Graduates from the first CNI MMH program have set the bar very high and I am sure that this cohort will match or exceed that stellar performance. It is heartening to see that people are beginning to value education in the hospitality industry,” declared Siguaw.

The twenty-two students accepted into the program come from an assortment of educational and professional backgrounds such as history, psychology, architecture, cinema, and audio-visual studies and have worked in a cross section of industry sectors including banking, advertising, consulting, accounting and, of course, hospitality.

“I believe the best way for me to achieve my professional goals is to pursue the Human Resource Management career track within the MMH program”, commented Sang Myung Lee, a Korean student enrolled for the MMH ’09 program. “I’ve worked as an employee trainer at a domestic Korean hotel for four years. I believe that employees are the strongest asset a company can have and I plan to develop my skill set and knowledge so that when I graduate, I can enter the hospitality industry as a functional specialist in human resources. I chose CNI because of its location in Asia, the fastest growing region for hospitality and tourism”.

The MMH is an intensive professional degree program. Students commit to a year of serious work: ten core courses and at least four electives, leadership development, master classes, career track advisory board meetings, and industry roundtables—spread over three semesters. The CNI MMH students spend five weeks in Singapore covering two core subjects before moving to Ithaca, New York, where they will remain for six months; after which they return to Singapore for their final semester. To establish a strong bond from the onset, the CNI students are introduced to the students in Ithaca by means of a video-conference.

Students commenced the MMH program on Wednesday with a week’s orientation in Singapore covering fundamentals such as business communication, leadership development, resume writing and effective networking. To familiarize themselves with each other and with their new city, the class will also participate in a team building exercise where they will explore Singapore, in the style of the popular television show, “The Amazing Race”.

QUOTATIONS:

Sang Myung Lee, Korea | “I believe the best way for me to achieve my professional goals is to pursue the Human Resource Management career track within the MMH program”, commented Sang Myung Lee, a Korean student enrolled for the MMH ’09 program. “I’ve worked as an employee trainer at a domestic Korean hotel for four years. I believe that employees are the strongest asset a company can have and I plan to develop my skill set and knowledge so that when I graduate, I can enter the hospitality industry as a functional specialist in human resources. I chose CNI because of its location in Asia, the fastest growing region for hospitality and tourism”.

Austin Heidt, USA | “I wanted to get a global perspective on the hospitality industry and Singapore as Asia’s hub for the services and financial industries certainly offers a well rounded view. I am a patron of both finance and hospitality and the MMH program offers me the opportunity to combine both my interests and build a career in the long run. The diversity of students and faculty at the CNI MMH program offers as much of a learning opportunity as the academic curriculum. I am looking forward to the year ahead.”

Naedge Schimdt, France | Naedge Schimdt, a French film professional chose the MMH program, “I was looking for a career switch – for a different environment. The hospitality industry is experiencing phenomenal growth, especially in Asia and I felt that it offered an exciting opportunity for me. The MMH program combining the expertise of Cornell and NTU is the premier program in this field and will equip me with the knowledge required to make this career switch.”