Oct. 14, 2020 – Collin College’s hospitality program is one of 10 two-year hospitality programs in the country selected to partner in a new scholarship program with the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation (AHLAF).
The new endeavor will provide $100,000 to students signing up for the 2021-2022 academic year. In addition, the AHLAF is awarding another $1 million in scholarships to 310 bachelor and graduate degree hospitality students during the 2020-2021 academic year. Since its founding, the AHLAF has distributed nearly $14 million in scholarship funds to promising hospitality management students across the nation.
“The newly created two-year hospitality scholarship program will provide meaningful support to deserving hospitality students working to earn their associate degrees, particularly those who may not otherwise have access to an education,” said Dr. Eric Tobin, professor and discipline lead of the Hospitality and Food Service Management program at Collin College.
These scholarships will cover a substantial portion of students’ tuition and school costs for a year. This announcement comes on the heels of a recently commissioned study by Emsi, a labor market analytics firm and affiliate of the Strada Education Network that analyzed career pathways within the hotel industry, and found that graduates with associate degrees are more likely to remain in the hospitality industry.
“During this difficult time for the industry, it is critical for AHLAF to support as many individuals as we can and fund their careers in this great industry,” said Rosanna Maietta, president of AHLAF. “We know degree holders are more likely to stay in the hospitality industry and many are already enrolled at two-year colleges–that’s why launching this program right now is the right thing to do.”
Collin College serves more than 58,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degrees and certificates, including new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) in Cybersecurity degrees. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. For more information, visit www.collin.edu.