Carnival Student Center opens at BBC

The morning of March 10 was one of those perfect Miami mornings – sunny, breezy, a little unpredictable, but fun, which, no doubt, added to the charm of spending it at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus.

The occasion? The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Carnival Student Center.

As Biscayne Bay Campus Vice Provost Steven Moll welcomed students, alumni, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management faculty/staff, as well as distinguished guests such as FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg, Mike Hampton, the school’s new dean, and Carnival vice chairman and COO Howard Frank, it was easy to see folks were in for one of those Miami days.

The sun was shining, but the thunder was rolling in. Nevertheless, a celebration was to be had in honor of the new 2,600-square-foot bay-view facility that, as Dean Hampton said, will become “the heart and soul” of the School of Hospitality. The Carnival Student Center will serve as a meeting point for SHTM students – a hub where they can meet to study and develop business relationships. Among the facility’s features is an advising center, a reading room, computer stations and a fully equipped conference room.

Rosenberg recognized and thanked Carnival for its “incredible support” and its investment in the center (made possibly by a gift to the school that qualifies for a state match), which, the president said, will ensure “we can be Worlds Ahead.”

“We have a number of college graduates from FIU that work for our company,” said Frank. “We are very cognizant of the importance of FIU and its support to Carnival and, likewise, our philosophy is to reciprocate that support.”

One way that the company will give back to the university will be through the newly established Carnival Scholarship Endowment. Two hospitality students received the first $1,000 Carnival scholarships at the dedication ceremony: sophomore Fabiana Ferrer and grad student SherAaron Hurt.