The Savoy Educational Trust has awarded a £750,000 grant to Thames Valley University (TVU) to build a new hospitality teaching and learning centre for postgraduate students.
The grant, which is the largest the industry's charitable trust has ever awarded, will be used to build the Savoy Educational Trust Leadership Development Suite at the university in west London.
It will comprise a 75-seat state-of-the-art lecture theatre and conference room as well as a flexible performance area and library designed for students enrolled in MBAs, postgraduate diplomas, MAs and professional diplomas at TVU.
Building work is set to begin later this summer, with the centre scheduled to be completed by autumn 2012, to coincide with the trust's 50th anniversary year.
Professor David Foskett, associate dean and head of the School of Hospitality and Tourism at TVU, said that, despite its 60-year history and reputation, the school "urgently needed to modernise aspects of the school to meet students' needs".
"Winning this grant from the Savoy Educational Trust has made our future aim of cementing our reputation on the global stage a reality, and will also enable us to continue building upon our historic achievements for generations to come," he said.
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By Kerstin Kühn
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