Glion Institute of Higher Education - History of Glion

History of Glion

Glion Institute of Higher Education was founded in 1962 by Walter Hunziker and Frédéric Tissot. The first name of the French-taught school was the Institut International de Glion. The campus was built in the renovated Grand Hôtel Bellevue for a first class composed of 15 students from 5 countries. The campus site was chosen for the location above Montreux, overlooking the Alps and the Lake Geneva, and for the hotel infrastructure providing practical classrooms. The site has undergone many transformations from the era of the Grand Hotel Bellevue to the campus it is today.

Over the years, Glion evolved through different management structures and names such as the Centre International de Glion (CIG) of 1977, to the Glion Hotel School, eventually to become Glion Institute of Higher Education in 2002. In the mid 80’s, the student body and staff had grown significantly so it became necessary to enlarge the facilities. Glion's location on the mountain side made expansion extremely difficult, so the town of Bulle, only 30 minutes away from Glion by car, was chosen as the site for a new campus. Construction of the new campus was completed in 1989.

In 1995, Glion put in place a new Bachelor Degree program based on the American system of university programs. Under the American system, new programs were introduced offering specialization tracks for Hospitality Management, Tourism, Finance and Human Resources. In 2001, Glion introduced a sports management program which has now become the Event, Sport and Entertainment program and the university received Accreditation by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

In 2002, Glion became part of Laureate International Universities, a division of Laureate Education Inc., which operates universities worldwide. More than 15,000 students participate in the Laureate Hospitality Education school network involving partners in Australia, Germany, Greece, Jordan, the People's Republic of China, Spain, the United States and elsewhere. In Switzerland, Laureate Hospitality Education coordinates administration of two sister universities: GIHE and Les Roches International School of Hotel Management.

In 2012, Glion opened a new campus in London on the existing site of Whiteland College, of the University of Roehampton. Glion London delivers the Bachelor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management and the Postgraduate Diploma in Hospitality Administration, with the same curriculum and accreditation as the flagship campus. Due to visa restrictions, Glion London campus is only open to students who hold a passport from the UK, EU, EEA, Swiss or British Overseas Territory nationals.