Tony Sahyoun, education committee chair for the Austin Hotel & Lodging Association, left, presents a scholarship check during the ACC Board of Trustees meeting in January. Also shown are ACC Foundation Chair Tom Gallagher, ACC Board Chair Nan McRaven, ACC President/CEO Stephen B. Kinslow, Ph.D., and Business Studies Division Dean Charles Quinn.
Awards Open to Hospitality Management, Event Planning, and Travel and Tourism Students
AUSTIN, TX, Jan. 13, 2009 – The Austin Community College Foundation has announced a $15,000 donation from the Austin Hotel & Lodging Association to establish an endowed scholarship for students studying hospitality management, event planning, and travel and tourism.
The first award will be available for the 2009-10 academic year.
“We are very excited and proud to work with ACC on this endowment,” says Thomas Segesta, president of AHLA, a nonprofit trade association of hotel managers and industry supplier. “The hospitality industry continues to grow in Austin and education is such a vital part of our community.”
The AHLA has long supported activities that strengthen local tourism, which contributes more than $69 million annually in local taxes. Education and training for the hospitality industry workforce is a primary goal.
“Partners such as the Austin Hotel & Lodging Association enable the ACC Foundation to provide more resources for student to attend ACC,” says ACC Foundation Chair Tom Gallagher. “The Foundation continues to focus on helping the ACC meet its goal to close the gaps in higher education by eliminating the financial barrier many students face.”
####
About the Austin Community College Foundation (austincc.edu/foundation):
The Austin Community College Foundation was established in 1991 to expand higher education and training throughout the Austin Community College District. Its mission is to raise funds to ensure student success and develop community support for the college. The Foundation is led by a volunteer board of business and community leaders whose dedication to education supports and allows for the growth of College initiatives. An established set of values guides the Foundation in its actions and a shared vision with ACC yields well-articulated strategies for these actions. Members of the board of directors share an inspired passion to assist the ACC in achieving excellence, which, in turn, will impact our community, students, and employers. Over $4.7 million has been raised through the Foundation to support college programs and scholarships.
About the Austin Community College District (austincc.edu):
ACC, Central Texas’ community college, is the primary gateway to higher education and career training for residents in eight counties. The college provides access to affordable, quality education. ACC enrolls more than 35,700 credit students, offering university transfer courses, two-year associate degrees, certificates, Early College Start, access programs that get students “college-ready,” and continuing education. At ACC you can “Start here. Get there.”