SHTM Training Hotel Receives Benevolence from Palace Foundation

 

UTech, Jamaica President, Dr. Kevin Brown (2nd right) receives a donation of a sample of hotel linen from Ms. Natalie Boreland (2nd left), General Manager, Palace Foundation during the Foundation’s presentation of approximately $800,000 worth of hotel linen to the university’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM) training hotel on, March 20, 2024. Sharing in the occasion are Dr. Noreen Brown-Roomes (left), Acting Head, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and Mrs. Rosalee Sawyers, Programme Director in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.



Palace Foundation, the charitable arm of the Palace Resorts company, donated approximately $800,000 worth of hotel linen to the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM) training hotel at the University of Technology, Jamaica, Papine Campus on March 20, 2024.  The supplies consist of double bed sheet sets, pillows, wash cloths, bathmats along with face, bath and beach towels. They were presented by Ms. Natalie Boreland, General Manager, Palace Foundation and received by Dr. Kevin Brown, President.

The donation follows the disbursement of $2,719,722.06 worth of scholarships in February by the Foundation to eight students pursuing various courses of study at UTech, Ja.

In expressing appreciation to the Palace Foundation, Dr. Kevin Brown stated that the donation comes at a time when the university’s leadership team is finetuning arrangements to officially open the SHTM training hotel facility for business. “We are really appreciative of the donation…we are looking forward to opening the hotel and with this linen, I am sure it will take us further along that journey.”

The President also acknowledged Mr. Clifton Reader, Vice President of Moon Palace Jamaica and Turks and Caicos, as “a big supporter of our hospitality course.”  This as Mr. Reader played an integral role in securing the scholarships for the students. Dr. Brown said, it is his hope that this act of benevolence by the Palace Foundation “will inspire others to give. As a university we need the support. We are funded by the government, but that funding is never enough.  With the little that we have, it is good to have extra support to enable our students to have the best quality education that we can provide” Dr. Brwon noted.

Acting Head, SHTM, Dr. Noreen Brown-Roomes also thanked the Foundation for its support to the training hotel, noting that, “We will be saving some money and it will push us along in terms of trying to open the hotel by July 2024.”

Ms. Natalie Boreland, General Manager, Palace Foundation shared that the donation was motivated by the organization’s awareness of UTech, Jamaica’s entrepreneurial intentions for its SHTM training hotel. She disclosed that the Foundation intends to “continue our partnership with UTech” and “do it for the love of helping others” as “that is our motto that we live by.”

Highlighting the longstanding support provided to UTech, Ja. over the years, Ms.  Boreland noted that “We have been giving scholarships to UTech since 2016 when the Foundation first started with our education programme.”

She explained that the scholarship recipients also benefit from hands-on work experience in the tourism and hospitality industry through volunteering at Moon Palace Resort.  “The scholarship programme that we have is accessible to the recipients for the duration of their programme – maximum four years, but they are required only to volunteer for 20 hours and to maintain a B+ average.  As a part of the volunteer hours, they are incorporated in different thing that we are doing.”

Among the eight scholarship recipients were: School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Students, Meloney Francis, Kawaine Anderson, Mahalia Euter and Stevol Morrison. Accounting student, Saharah Henry, Dentistry majors, Christopher Boswell and Gail Williams, along with land surveying student Danae Mott also benefitted from the Palace Foundation Scholarship awards.





President, University of Technology, Jamaica, Dr. Kevin Brown (2nd right front row) shares a photo with some of the UTech, Ja student beneficiaries of the Palace Foundation scholarship along with Ms. Natalie Boreland (to his left), General Manager, Palace Foundation and Mrs. Talcia Peart-Peters (to his right), Coordinator, Palace Foundation. The students were awarded academic scholarship by the Foundation earlier this year and are also receiving job-related experience through their volunteerism with the Foundation and or its home company, Moon Palace Resort. The student (front row l-r) are Christopher Boswell and Saharah Henry while in the back row (l-r) are Danae Mott, Meloney Francis, Stevol Morrison and Kawaine Anderson.




Contact:
Michelle Beckford
Corporate Communications Manager 
University of Technology, Jamaica 
Telephone: (876) 818-5893 
Email: mbeckford@utech.edu.jm