Our university has a long history of breaking new ground – forging innovative partnerships and pioneering creative new approaches to teaching, learning and research.
We don’t hesitate to explore new ways of doing things.
Our partnership with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is no different.
The ROYAL@FIU World Stage Collaborative builds upon our collective assets as engaged anchor institutions to advance unprecedented experiential learning and research opportunities, while attracting top talent to both organizations.
It’s an example of how we are forging relationships between industry and academia. It’s also an example of how our FIU is Worlds Ahead in fostering innovative public-private partnerships to benefit our students, faculty and community.
Our vision for this partnership is talent development, shared knowledge and real world exploration.
Our collaboration is already off the ground through the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the College of Architecture and the Arts – with internships, custom curricula and behind the scenes access to Royal Caribbean’s experts, state-of-the-art facilities and shipboard operations.
Hospitality internships will include hands-on experience in operations and management. Arts internships will include music, theater and visual arts – from stage management, lighting and design to auditions, promotion, rehearsals and final production.
One of the most exciting components of the partnership is collaborative research for FIU faculty and graduate students, who will have access to RCL marketing and sales data to conduct original research and surveys, with findings and recommendations presented to RCL.
The most visible component of the partnership thus far is the construction of a 130,000-square-foot, state-of-the art entertainment studio at the FIU Biscayne Bay Campus. This rehearsal and production center includes three-story studios, a 300-seat theater, 20,000-square-foot costume-making and storage facility and 10 other rehearsal studios. Our partnership provides FIU students with unique access to these facilities.
It may not be typical – but FIU is not typical. Our collaboration with RCL is multi-faceted, long-term, globally focused and with tremendous potential for expansion across multiple disciplines.
We look forward to sharing more details of this exciting partnership. Be sure to join us for the grand opening celebration from 10:15 a.m. to 12 p.m. on March 20, 2015 at the Biscayne Bay Campus. If you have not already done so, please click here to RSVP.