Donor Profile: The Marriott Foundation


Gift endows School of Hospitality’s Tianjin program

By Martin Haro ’05

FIU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management has been a leader in training the next generation of industry leaders in China, one of the world’s fastest growing tourism regions.

As a result of the school’s strong international reputation for excellence, the People’s Republic of China selected FIU from a group of elite hospitality schools in the United States and Europe as its partner in establishing a hospitality and tourism management campus in Tianjin, the third largest city in China and seaport for Beijing.

Today the campus is named The Marriott Tianjin China Program thanks to a $2.7 million gift from The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation.

The gift, which includes state matching funds, also established The Marriott Tianjin China Program Endowment. Earnings from the endowment are used for student recruitment and scholarships, as well as faculty recruitment and travel between China and the United States.

“One of many focus areas for the foundation is supporting both secondary and higher education,” said Marriott Foundation Executive Director Anne Gunsteens. “We viewed this as an opportunity to partner with an outstanding university that is providing the hospitality and tourism industry with well-trained graduates ready to serve the increasing needs of Asia’s growing tourism markets.”

Fully funded by the Chinese government, the $100 million, 20-acre campus opened in September 2006. The campus sits on the grounds of Tianjin University of Commerce and comprises more than 450,000 square feet of facilities, including a dormitory tower 20 stories high.

The school’s interim dean, Joan Remington, was instrumental in laying the foundation for this groundbreaking program. She says, “This program allows the school to develop faculty both in Miami and Tianjin and to provide an international experience for students with our Miami faculty traveling to China to provide classes for them.

“Marriott has been a part of the school’s family for quite some time, and their investment in this program has deepened that commitment.”

The Marriott Tianjin China Program graduated its first class of 29 students in May 2008, all of whom were immediately courted by several international hospitality corporations, including Marriott.

That summer, the graduates, along with 600 other students enrolled in the program, received an opportunity of a lifetime to work at the Olympic Village in Beijing, helping to manage the more than 500,000 guests attending the Olympic Games in China.

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