Washington | The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF), the not-for-profit affiliate of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), administers four scholarships on behalf of hotel companies and in memorial of key industry influencers, Hyatt Hotels, JHM Hotels, Arthur J. Packard, and Steve Hymans. These four scholarship programs, totaling $115,000, contribute to AH&LEF’s total of more than $560,000 in academic scholarships awarded annually.
The following are brief descriptions about each scholarship. Click on each scholarship’s name to view 2008 winners and comments from the donors:
- The Hyatt Hotels Fund for Minority Lodging Management Students awarded $40,000 in scholarships to 20 minority hospitality management students. Since its inception in 1988, this program has awarded 237 students with $2,000 scholarships and currently maintains a fund worth approximately $800,000.
- JHM Hotels awarded 23 scholarships totaling $39,000 through the Rama Scholarship for the American Dream Program. The fund, established with a $1,000,001 endowment on the 25th anniversary of the Rama brothers’ first hotel purchase, facilitates recipients’ actions to create their own “American Dream.”
- The Arthur J. Packard Memorial Scholarship Program awarded three students at AH&LEF-affiliated four-year educational institutions a total of $10,000. This national scholarship competition began in 1974 to honor third-generation hotelier Packard’s numerous accomplishments in the lodging industry.
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Steve Hymans Extended Stay Scholarship Program awarded $6,000 to four undergraduate hospitality management students. The scholarship, renamed last year in honor of Hymans, a 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry and one of the extended stay segment's most knowledgeable and experienced professionals, is a permanently endowed with approximately $110,000 in contributions.
“These long-running gifts from our dedicated donors continue to fund the hopes and careers of numerous future lodging professionals,” said Joori Jeon, CPA, CAE, AH&LEF president/COO. “It’s a great honor to serve as the vehicle for connecting tomorrow’s hospitality leaders with the financial means they need for success in their professional development.”
Scholarships are awarded based on academic performance, hospitality work experience, financial need, and other requirements based on specific criteria of the scholarship. Last year, AH&LEF gave more than $1 million to prepare promising college students for a career in hospitality, attract and retain quality industry professionals, and fund valuable research for lodging properties. Since the Foundation’s inception, $11 million has been disbursed through its scholarship, education, outreach, and research programs.
For more information about AH&LEF scholarships and other programs, contact Crystal Hammond, director of foundation programs, at (202) 289-3188 or chammond@ahlef.org or visit www.ahlef.org.
AH&LEF is the charitable fund-raising and endowed fund-management subsidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Founded in 1953, AH&LEF is the premier organization for scholarships, professional certification, and instructional material as well as funding for hospitality industry research. For more information, visit
www.ahlef.org.
Serving the hospitality industry for nearly a century, AH&LA is the sole national association representing all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, including individual hotel property members, hotel companies, student and faculty members, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides members with national advocacy on Capitol Hill, public relations and image management, education, research and information, and other value-added services to provide bottom line savings and ensure a positive business climate for the lodging industry. Partner state associations provide local representation and additional cost-saving benefits to members.
American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA)
