CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (June 28, 2023)—Ten Kirkwood Community College Hospitality Management students recently received $2,000 scholarships from the American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation (AHLAF), the charitable giving arm of the AHLA. According to Greg Krawiec, Program Coordinator, “Kirkwood’s Hospitality Management Program has awarded $50,000 in AHLAF sponsored scholarships over the past three years. Kirkwood Community College’s Hospitality Management program is proud to be amongst a select group of community colleges across the nation offering AHLAF sponsored scholarships. This speaks directly to the quality of our world-class facility and learning model as well as the success of our graduates.”
Since its inception, AHLAF has disbursed more than $15 million in academic scholarships to hospitality students across the country. This year, the Foundation will disburse approximately $1 million through its nine hospitality management scholarship programs for students ranging from first-year students to graduate students. Some scholarships are reserved for current hotel employees or minorities. Others are open to full-time or part-time students. Award amounts range from $500 to $7,500.
Kirkwood students who received the scholarships are: Oliva Auen; Kaitlyn Dalbey; Alex Dolan; Audrey Faith; Gillian Glessner; Matthew Herman; Olivia Nelson Moser; Traeten Stockman; Emily Swick; and Amber West. The funds will be used for tuition, fees, and/or books during the 2023-24 academic year.
Kirkwood’s Hospitality Management program develops industry leaders to work in various departments of full-service hotels, food and beverage operations, resorts, theme parks, country clubs, and other segments of the travel and tourism industry. Students in this program gain industry-specific expertise training side-by-side with professionals at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, a AAA Four Diamond Hotel & Conference Center teaching lab. Formal coursework exposes students to the various departments of hotel operations including front office and revenue management, hotel sales and event planning, housekeeping management, food and beverage, procurement, and other integral hospitality business topics.
Seven of the top 20 fastest growing industries in the United States are in leisure and hospitality. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the U.S. economy to add 8.3 million jobs from 2021 to 2031. More than 23% of all new jobs projected are expected to be in leisure and hospitality.