FIB Unhas — The Senate Room of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) at Hasanuddin University served as a strategic meeting point between the academic world and the hospitality industry. From 09:30 to 11:00 WITA, the leadership of FIB Unhas and the management of Mercure Hotel Nexa Pettarani sat together to conduct the signing of a Cooperation Agreement, marking a new chapter in the synergy between the two institutions.
The Head of the Tourism Study Program at FIB Unhas, Dr. Supriadi, S.S., M.A., emphasized in his opening remarks that this agreement is designed to streamline communication between the campus and the industrial world. “Our greatest hope is that this partnership with Mercure Hotel Nexa Pettarani can open comprehensive internship opportunities for Tourism Study Program students to hone their competencies directly in the field,” he stated.
The gesture was warmly received. The General Manager of Mercure Hotel Nexa Pettarani, Wahyu Nursekha Wijayanti, S.Kom., M.I.Kom., responded positively to the initiative. Before the attending academic community, she presented the managerial structure of her hotel while underlining the importance of sustainable collaboration between industry and educational institutions to produce superior human resources.
Interestingly, the vision for this cooperation does not stop at internship programs alone. The Dean of FIB Unhas, Prof. Dr. Andi Muhammad Akhmar, S.S., M.Hum., projected a much broader scope. He outlined plans to involve hospitality practitioners as guest lecturers and identified opportunities for collaborative research in the field of tourism.
Furthermore, Prof. Akhmar mentioned the potential for collaboration in organizing a culinary festival. “We received an invitation from the Director of Culinary at the Deputy for Cultural Creativity and the Ministry of Creative Economy. Naturally, we are very interested in involving the hotel industry, such as Mercure Hotel, to participate directly in that festival,” he noted.
Prof. Akhmar also specifically appreciated the presence of the core managerial team from Mercure Hotel, which demonstrated the industry’s seriousness in building an educational ecosystem. After being officially opened by the Dean, the event continued with the signing process, a profile presentation of Mercure Hotel Nexa Pettarani, and an interactive Q&A session.
