Volume2 Issue1 April 2016

Q& A with Andrew Pennington, the Campus Director Andrew Pennington is currently serving as Director of Campus at the Blue Mountain International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS) after having held the position of Dean at the School of Hospitality at the International College Subang Malaysia (a Laureate Institution).  Andrew's career to date has spanned almost thirty years in the hospitality industry, the past ten of which were spent in academic roles within hospitality education based in London, Malaysia, and the PRC.  Andrew has held managerial positions in hotels, private clubs, and restaurants in Hong Kong, Taiwan, People's Republic of China, Dubai, Oman, and Europe.  

Andrew has obtained a first class master's degree in hospitality from Thames Valley University in London, England, and is presently in the final stages of completing his PhD. He has authored and co-authored several academic texts in the areas of food and beverage management and hospitality.  His latest book, "The Theory of Hospitality and Catering" (13th edition), will be published in May 2016. 

This spring, Campus Director Andrew Pennington was interviewed by the BMCN Newsletter, about his first impressions of BMIHMS, his personal experience in the hospitality industry, and his ambitions for the School.

BMIHMS China Campus News �1

Why  hospitality?    

I  find  it’s  a  really  exci1ng  occupa1on;  it’s  an  industry  where  everyday  is  different,  so  much  diversity.    You  get  to  meet  such  a  diverse  spectrum  of  people  everyday,  from  different  walks  of  life,  all  with  different  needs.  I  face  different  challenges  and  opportuni1es  each  day  working  in  such  a  fast  paced,  dynamic  sector.    Also  from  a  global  perspec1ve,  there  are  many  opportuni1es  to  travel  and  learn  about  new  cultures.    

What  excites  you  about  being  at  the  BMIHMS?    

BMIHMS  has  a  longstanding  reputa1on  of  quality,  with  a  really  strong  brand  presence  within  the  industry.  I  was  therefore  really  pleased  when  the  opportunity  arose  to  come  and  work  for  BMIHMS  and  to  be  a  part  of  such  a  reputable  hotel  school.  I  was  so  impressed  with  the  Australian  campuses  and  with  the  way  that  they  teach:  their  educa1on  model,  how  they  combine  prac1cal  and  theore1cal,  is  most  impressive  and  very  unique.        

Swiss  hospitality  institutions  and  BMIHMS,  what’s  the  similarity  and  difference  of  the  two?  

I  think  a  lot  of  what  they  do  in  Australia  is  very  similar  to  what  they  do  in  Switzerland,  but  to  do  it  in  Australia  obviously,  they  have  access  to  diverse  and  mul1cultural  communi1es.  So  I  think  really,  they  are  very  similar,  but  the  learning  environment  in  Australia  adds  more  value  to  the  study  experience.  The  weather,  the  city  is  amazing,  and  they  have  all  those  big  brands  in  Sydney,  like  Four  Seasons,  the  Con/nental  and  Hilton,  which  I  am  not  sure  if  they  have  those  connec1ons  in  Switzerland.  (To  be  con/nued  in  Page  2)  

BMIHMS CHINA CAMPUS NEWS

Volume2 Issue1 April 2016

BMIHMS China Campus News �2

3 KEY CEREMONY

4 GRADUATION

5 MUFTI DAY

6 BM OLYMPICS

7 CONTACT US

What  would  you  say  are  BMIHMS  China’s  key  priorities?    

We  teach  in  English,  we  have  faculty  members  who  have  industry  experience.  We  bring  a  lot  of  what  they  do  in  Australia  here,  both  of  practical  and  the  theoretical  elements.  

     The  other  thing  I  think  is  important  for  international  students  is  the  opportunity  to  live  in  a  destination  like  Mainland  China,  because  it  would  give  them  a  competitive  advantage  of  communicating  with  non-­‐English  speakers,  being  patient,  and  making  decisions.  And  they  can  put  on  their  CV  ‘I  studied  for  a  year  in  China,  and  then  I  went  to  Australia  to  study  there.’  It  shows  you  can  deal  with  different  environments.  You  overcome  and  adapt.    

How  do  you  think  the  cross-­‐cultural  awareness  will  beneCit  our  students?    

Immensely.  For  example  if  they  come  here  to  study  that  they  learn  about  Chinese  culture,  they  know  some  of  the  Chinese  language.  The  Chinese  outbound  travel  market  is  the  biggest  in  the  world,  and  there  is  more  Mainland  Chinese  travelling  overseas.  So  when  the  students  go  to  the  hotels  in  any  city  London,  Hong  Kong,  there  could  be  Mainland  China  travellers.  So  when  they  come  and  say  Nihao  (Hello),  they  know  the  needs,  they  know  how  they  think,  and  they  know  if  it’s  Chinese  New  Year,  how  to  greet  like  Gongxi  Facai  (May  you  be  happy  and  prosperous).  It’s  not  just  customers,  because  they  also  can  be  working  in  the  hotels,  you  working  very  diversities.  They  might  be  in  the  kitchens  with  Spanish,  Italian,  Japanese  or  Hong  Kong  people,  so  just  having  that  awareness  would  be  really  beneQicial  from  a  customer  perspective  and  a  colleague  perspective.  Furthermore,  it  makes  you  more  interesting  as  a  person.  You  can  come  back  and  you  can  talk  about  that.  When  you  leave,  you  got  stories  to  tell.  

What’s  your  plan  and  what  do  you  see  for  the  future  of  BMIHMS-­‐  China  (BMCN)?  

One  thing  is  to  make  sure  we  are  providing  a  good  quality  teaching  and  learning  environment  for  our  students.  That  we  give  them  the  skills  that  the  industry  needs,  that  hotels  need.  So  we  are  aligned  with  the  hotels  and  education.  

     The  other  thing  is  that  we  developed  them  to  be  professionals.  We  teach  them  about  grooming,  about  professionalism,  about  attitude,  caring  for  others,  ethics.  So  we  are  developing  these  young  people,  and  turning  them  into  people  who  can  go  in  to  the  Shangri-­‐La  and  deal  with  professionals  after  graduating.  

     It  is  also  important  that  the  facilities  meet  and  even  exceed  the  needs  of  our  students,  and  also  to  provide  them  with  social  activities,  students’  clubs,  and  things  like  that,  which  I  think  is  really  important,  and  I  know  staff  member  Mr  Kurt  Wilkins  is  working  on  that.  

     Finally,  we  want  to  be  able  to  provide  them  with  best  internships  in  hotels.  Put  them  into  the  right  hotels  and  right  positions  that  they  want.  

Volume2 Issue1 April 2016

The  Key  Ceremony  is  a  special  Blue  Mountains  event  to  welcome  our  departing  Level  2  students  into  the  Blue  Mountains  Alumni.  The  BM  Alumni  network  stretches  all  over  the  work  and  is  a  great  way  for  graduates  of  BMIHMS  to  keep  in  touch,  share  news,  post  job  vacancies  and  organise  social  gatherings.  The  Key  Ceremony  has  been  happening  for  some  time  in  the  BM  Australia  campuses  but  this  was  the  Qirst  time  in  BM  China.  The  Key  has  long  been  a  symbol  of  wisdom  and  new  opportunities  –  so  we  use  this  symbol  to  celebrate  what  the  students  have  learnt  in  their  time  at  Blue  Mountains  but  to  also  remind  them  of  the  endless  opportunities  before  them.  The  theme  for  this  Key  Ceremony  was  “Red  Carpet  Movie  Premiere”  with  many  of  the  students  dressing  up  in  their  best  outQits  for  this  occasion.  We  welcome  16  departing  Level  2  students  into  the  Alumni  with  students  being  presented  with  keys  and  certiQicates  of  achievement.  The  night  was  made  even  more  special  with  a  video  message  from  Mr  Val  Cook,  our  alumni  ambassador  who  has  been  with  the  School  since  it  opened  in  

1991.  Staff  members  Mr  Kurt  Wilkins  and  Mr  Nicolas  Turmel  (also  BM  Alumni)  ensured  the  students  understood  the  great  family  they  were  now  a  part  of.  The  night  was  catered  by  our  Level  1  practical  students  who  cooked  and  served  an  amazing  meal  and  drinks  package.  

BMIHMS China Campus News �3

BMIHMS CHINA KEY CEREMONY

Volume2 Issue1 April 2016

BMIHMS China Campus News �4

On  18  March  we  welcomed  19  new  graduates  to  our  alumni  network.  The  graduates  were  awarded  their  degrees,  and  we  also  presented  Academic  Outstanding  and  Three  Pillars  Awards.    

     Director  of  Opera1ons  for  BMIHMS,  Jane  Adams;  Dean  of  Hospitality,  Dr  ScoS  Richardson;  Campus  Assistant  Director,  James  Brady  and  Campus  Director  Andrew  Pennington;  Chancellor  of  the  STFI  Professor  Qilin  Zang;  Vice  Chancellor  Lingfu  Zhou  plus  representa1ves  of  hospitality  Industrial  Suzhou-­‐  Hangzhou  CommiSee  were  all  in  aSendance  along  with  students’  parents  and  staff  representa1ves.  

GRADUATION

     Bili  Cao,  the  Assistant  Director  of  the  JVP,  hosted  the  Ceremony.  Professor  Qilin  Zang  was  gra1fied  at  the  progress  the  JVP  has  made,  grateful  for  the  hardworking  staff  and  their  support.    Dr  ScoS  Richardson  then  delivered  a  speech  and  sent  wishes  for  graduates.          

         “Gradua1on  is  an  important  occasion  -­‐  the  culmina1on  of  all  your  hard  work  during  your  1me  at  the  Blue  Mountains  Interna1onal  Hotel  Management  School.  It  marks  the  point  at  which  you  leave  us  to  make  your  way  in  the  world.”  

     Having  successfully  completed  our  professionally-­‐focused  programme  and  benefiSed  from  the  guidance  and  support  given  by  our  academics,  careers  and  employability  service  and  Student  Experience  team,  our  graduates  leave  us  well  equipped  to  fulfill  their  future  career  aspira1ons.    

     We  wish  all  of  our  graduates  well  on  their  journey  in  the  hospitality  industry!

Volume2 Issue1 April 2016

On  1st  April  we  had  our  MUFTI/Casual  Dress  Day.  On  the  day  we  encouraged  students  (and  staff)  to  ditch  the  uniform  for  the  day  and  come  to  school  in  casual  clothes.  The  theme  for  the  day  was  COLOURFUL  &  WONDERFUL  so  we  welcomed  our  students  to  come  in  their  most  colourful,  Qlashy  and  fabulous  clothes.  The  fee  for  coming  in  casual  clothes  was  1  RMB  (so  so  cheap)  and  all  proceeds  of  the  event  would  go  towards  future  student  events.    

     Thank  you  to  everyone  who  participated  we  raised  a  total  of  47RMB  on  the  day.  We  gave  HOUSE  POINTS  to  the  best-­‐dressed  students  and  prizes  to  the  best  dressed  male  and  best  dressed  female  students  Yen  Truong  and  Liu  Yi  Ning.  

BMIHMS China Campus News �5

MUFTI DAY

Check page 6.

Volume2 Issue1 April 2016

BMIHMS China Campus News �6

JULYBLUE MOUNTAINS OLYMPICS On  Saturday  9th  April  2016  students  and  staff  took  to  the  school  sports  field  for  one  of  the  greatest  competitions  around  –  The  BM  Olympics.  This  was  to  be  the  second  ever  BM  Olympics  held  in  China  and  everybody  was  ready  to  participate.  The  day  kicked  off  at  a  sleepy  9am  but  Suzhou  had  produced  some  nice  weather-­‐  a  little  cloudy  but  not  too  hot.  The  first  event  on  the  cards  was  water-­‐can  bowling  (check  out  the  pictures)  and  it  was  game  on  from  there.    Other  events  included  the  traditional  races  (100m,  200m  and  4x100m  relay)  and  some  non-­‐traditional  events  such  as  frisbee  throwing  and  the  mighty  egg  and  spoon  race.    Everyone  who  attended  had  a  great  time.  It  was  a  great  showcase  of  students    

enjoying  themselves,  showing  team  spirit  and  sportsmanship.  At  the  end  of  the  day  the  winners  were  awarded  medals  and  the  SoQitel  Sharks  was  the  House  that  won  the  most  points  and  took  home  the  BM  Cup!  Some  of  the  Gold  Medallists  on  the  day  were:  

BM  Olympics  

Male  200m  Sprint  –  Yen  Truong  

Female  100m  Sprint  –  Zhu  Jieying  

Male  100m  Sprint  –  Tom  Zheng  

Egg  and  Spoon  Race  –  Nadia  Li  

3-­‐Legged  Race  –  Scott  Kim  &  Earvin  Johan  

Volume2 Issue1 April 2016

BMIHMS China Campus News �7

Welcome to BMIHMS Blue  Mountains  International  Hotel  Management  School,  BMIHMS,  is  Australia’s  leading  hotel  school  for  hospitality  education.  We  provide  internationally  recognised  hospitality  and  business  degree  courses  that  are  highly  respected  within  the  global  hotel,  restaurant,  catering  and  event  management  industries.    

     BMIHMS  China  has  been  active  for  over  10  years  in  Suzhou  and  we  keep  improving  our  programs,  facilities  and  accommodation  to  provide  the  best  experience  for  our  students.  

     Upcoming  intakes  start  on:    

 -­‐  10th  May,  2016  (application  period  still  open)  

 -­‐  16th  August,  2016  

 -­‐  1st  November,  2016  

We  hope  to  welcome  you  on campus!

Contact us Campus  Address:  STFI,  Education  Park  South,  Wuzhong  Avenue,  Wuzhong  District,  Jiangsu  Province,  China.  

Postcode:  215104  

Phone:  +86  612  6532  5272  

Fax:  +86  612  6532  5272  

Email:  studyinchina@bluemountains.edu.au  

Website:  http://www.bluemountainschina.cn    

Social  Media:  Sina  Weibo  

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