The University of Nevada Las Vegas Singapore Campus (UNLV) is pleased to announce the creation of the Macao Hospitality and Tourism Industry Practitioners Fund. Designed to encourage working professionals to continue their career development within the vibrant hospitality and tourism industry in Macao, this fund will provide additional scholarship awards to students who are accepted and enroll in UNLV’s Master of Hospitality Administration (MHA) Executive Program in Macao for August 2011 and future intakes. Masters students can now earn their degree for MOP121,000 after this generous scholarship funding.

UNLV’s MHA program is offered in partnership with the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) Macao. Both are committed to providing quality, comprehensive graduate education to industry professionals in Macao while continuing to nurture their relationship with the hospitality and tourism industry. Local industry is being provided the opportunity to endorse this new fund to show their support for members of the hospitality and tourism industry to further their professional development through higher education.

A signing ceremony of industry endorsement of the Macao Hospitality and Tourism Industry Practitioners Fund will be held on 8 June 2011 at the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao. The current list of industry endorsers includes:

· Galaxy Entertainment Group

· Grand Emperor Hotel

· Grand Hyatt Macau

· Holiday Inn Macau

· Hotel Lan Kwai Fong Macau

· L’Arc New World Hotel Macau

· Melco PBL Entertainment

· MGM MACAU

· Sands Macao

· Shun Tak Holdings / Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre

· The Venetian-Macau-Resort Hotel

· Waldo Hotel Macao

· Wynn Macau

Background on UNLV and IFT

UNLV has a 50-year history of academic excellence and its graduates can be found in key management positions in leading hotels throughout the world. The Singapore Campus, which opened in August 2006, is UNLV’s first international campus and has a current student population of close to 500 students. UNLV’s Singapore Campus is accredited in the United States and recognized by the Singapore Ministry of Education.

IFT, established in 1995, is a public institution of higher education that offers degree and professional programs in a wide range of tourism-related disciplines such as hospitality, tourism business, heritage, events, retail and marketing, leisure and entertainment, sports and recreation, creative and cultural studies, and culinary arts. IFT has received various awards in recognition of its achievement in quality education. In 2008, IFT was awarded the “Medal of Merit for Tourism” by the Macao SAR Government for its contribution to the development of the tourism industry.

Contact Information for media interview

For more information or to arrange for interviews with either Dr. Andy Nazarechuk, Dean of UNLV Singapore, or Dr. Fanny Vong, President of IFT Macao, please contact:

For UNLV SingaporeMs. Jenny WeinmanManager of Graduate Programs(65) 6332-9538 ext. 610jennifer.weinman@unlv.edu.sg

For IFT MacaoMs. Frida LawSenior Public Relations Officer (853) 8598-3182frida@ift.edu.mo