$5M Grant Boosts Diversity and Inclusion at Cornell School of Hotel Administration

  • 12/14/15

ITHACA, NY – The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has awarded a $5 million grant to the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration (SHA) in support of diversity and inclusion initiatives, and student financial aid.

The five-year grant will allow SHA to expand recruitment initiatives to cultivate qualified applicants in targeted underserved markets. The funds will also provide scholarships for underrepresented and first-generation students to attend summer enrichment programs. In support of current students, the gift provides academic and non-academic support as a component of personal and professional development.

Most significantly, this gift will provide scholarship support for five or more students annually for five years, plus increase the reach of the existing Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Scholarship to support three or more students annually in perpetuity. Cornell University admits students based on qualifications, regardless of ability to pay. More than 60 percent of SHA students currently receive some form of financial aid, and the need continues to grow.

“Not only is providing financial aid support to our students a priority, it is also crucial that we invest in programs that ensure the students’ success,” says Michael D. Johnson, the Bradley H. Stone Dean and E. M. Statler Professor at SHA. “We look forward to partnering with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in helping deserving students from all backgrounds access the hospitality-focused business education only available at SHA.”

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world’s disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance use, helping children affected by HIV and AIDS, supporting transition-age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton’s support for the work of Catholic Sisters. In addition, following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 billion in grants, distributing $100 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2014. The Foundation’s current assets are approximately $2.5 billion. For more information, please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org.

Featured

  • East Carolina University Selects Architect for $60M Residence Hall Renovations

    East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., recently announced that it has selected the KWK/Jenkins Peer Architects (JPA) team, collaborating with INTREPID Architecture, to design renovations for two of its residence halls, according to a news release.

  • Texas A&M Breaks Ground on New Space Institute

    The Texas A&M University Space Institute recently broke ground next to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, according to a news release. The Nov. 15 groundbreaking ceremony followed the Nov. 7 approval by the Texas A&M University System’s Board of Regents of $200 million for the facility’s construction.

  • Craig Gaulden Davis Architecture Announces Merger with PBK

    Craig Gaulden Davis Architecture (CGD), based in South Carolina and Maryland, recently announced that it has merged with PBK, the largest K–12 architectural firm in the U.S., according to a news release. The firm will operate as Craig Gaulden Davis | PBK with 31 offices across the country.

  • 5 Tips for New Teachers and Their Administrators on Classroom Design

    Recently, several school visits early in the academic year highlighted how many first-year teachers struggle to set up their classrooms effectively. It's evident that more can be done to better support them from the start, particularly in the area of classroom design.