PO Box 3974 Charleston, WV  25339-3974   Phone (304) 347-3900 Fax  (304) 347-9692 email: edfdn@wvhta.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organization Info.

 

The West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association Educational Foundation is a 501(c) 3 charitable organization established in 1999 by visionaries of the West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, leading industry employers, and educators.  The West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association is the umbrella organization for the restaurant, lodging, attractions, convention & visitor bureaus, and travel industry in the state of West Virginia. 

 

Mission Statement

 

The Foundation’s mission is to create the opportunity for the citizens of West Virginia to enter and grow in the hospitality industry through education.  Initially, the Foundation’s primary focus is to build an endowment that will be a sustainable source of scholarship funds for West Virginia residents entering the tourism and hospitality fields. 

 

Board of Directors

 

The WVHTA Education Foundation’s Board of Directors governs and oversees the activities of the Foundation.  These Board members represent all facets of the tourism industry, including lodging, food and beverage operations, attractions, and convention & visitor bureaus.  Additionally, the WV Department of Education is also represented.  All Board members serve on a volunteer basis and meet approximately four times per year.  Current Board membership includes:

 

President                    Rod Stoner, The Greenbrier Resort

Vice President           Gene Coulson, WV Department of Education

Secretary                  Paul Breuer, Mountain River Tours

Treasurer                   Steve Nichols, Charleston Marriott Hotel

Members                    Jim Holthaus, Southern WV CVB

                                    Victor Thacker, WV Wesleyan College

                                    Susan Hanger, Songer Whitewater

Ex-Officio                 Sharon Rowe, The Greenbrier

                                          Carol Fulks, Executive Director, WVHTA

 

          

Workforce Development

 

The WVHTA Educational Foundation is committed to promoting tourism and hospitality as the “Industry of Choice” for young people and those working to advance their careers.  A new wave of hospitality education is sweeping over America.  The industry is mounting a huge effort to recruit young people into high school school-to-career programs to meet the industry’s need for skilled managers.  Instead of just hiring teenagers, hospitality is now reaching out to train and nurture them, and helping them to reach their fullest potential in an industry that offers many rewarding and fulfilling career opportunities. 

 

In cooperation with the Hospitality Business Alliance (HBA) - an educational partnership formed by the National Restaurant Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association to create a nationwide system of high school hospitality courses linked with mentored worksite experiences - the West Virginia Department of Education’s Hospitality Education and Training (HEAT) office began two such initiatives in the Fall of 1997:

 

·         ProStart® is the nationally accredited two-year, industry-based foodservice management curriculum designed by the National Restaurant Association that develops the culinary and management skills students need to succeed in restaurant and food service careers.

·         The Lodging Management Program (LMP), designed by the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s Educational Institute, is a curriculum that provides 11^th and 12^th grade students with classroom learning and work-based components that prepare them to take advantage of the boundless career opportunities in lodging. 

 

Additionally, WV HEAT developed a state-specific curriculum entitled “Travel West Virginia” (TWV).  This course is designed to teach West Virginia high school students about the importance of tourism and its role in the state’s economy, as well as to teach them about the state itself and the various hospitality career opportunities that exist in it.  During the 2002/2003 academic year, 41 ProStart, 10 LMP, and 60 TWV programs will operate in West Virginia, with an enrollment of approximately 3,000 West Virginia high school students.

 

The major goal of the WVHTA Education Foundation’s scholarship endowment fund and career mentoring program is to complete the educational pathway already underway in West Virginia.  From a hospitality career website designed for eighth graders, to the TWV, ProStart and LMP programs in the high schools, to articulation agreements with colleges and universities for both Associate and Bachelors degrees in hospitality fields – most of the pieces are in place.  Scholarships for worthy, directed students are the final link.  Until the Foundation was formed, there were no scholarships in West Virginia targeted at students entering the hospitality fields.           

         

Scholarships

 

WVHTA EF awards scholarships to students seeking post-secondary education in the hospitality and tourism industry.  Applicants must be West Virginia residents to apply, but may be planning to attend out-of-state schools.  Currently, the WVHTA EF has created and administers several scholarships:

 

The WVHTA Educational Foundation Hospitality Business Alliance Scholarship ($1,000): for ProStartâ & Lodging Management Programâ high school seniors who plan to enroll in a hospitality degree program;   Click here for the HBA application

 

The WVHTA Educational Foundation General Scholarship ($1,000):  for high school seniors who plan to enroll in a hospitality degree program and have attained work experience in the hospitality industry;   Click here for the General application

 

The Peter Meyer Memorial Scholarship ($500): for high school seniors who plan to enroll in a hospitality degree program.  This scholarship is funded through contributions received in memory of Peter Meyer, former Food and Beverage Director at the Charleston Marriott, and will be awarded until funds are completely expended;

 

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation/WVHTA Education Foundation “Co-Branded” Scholarship ($2,000): for graduating high school seniors who have completed ProStartâ and who plan to enroll in a culinary or hospitality degree program.

 

Scholarship applications are available online and may be downloaded using Adobe Acrobat Reader.  Separate applications are not needed for the Peter Meyer Memorial Scholarship or the NRAEF Co-branded Scholarship – all applicants to the WVHTA scholarships are automatically considered.  Downloaded applications should be forwarded to the Education Foundation, along with all requested supporting materials, by the deadline.  If you are unable to download, please call and request a hard copy of the application and we will mail it to you.

 

DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF SPRING 2005 APPLICATIONS WILL BE April 15,2005.

AWARDS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY MAY 1, 2005.

 

Other Organizations which offer Scholarships

• National Food Processor Association Graduate Student Scholarship Award Program recognizes an outstanding student in the area of food technology/food science who has shown ability to enhance the safety and wholesomeness of food products through research and scholastic achievement in one or more food science disciplines such as food microbiology, food chemistry, biotechnology, sanitation, packaging, or processing.
• Hospitality, Financial and Technology Professionals awards various universities and colleges with endowed scholarships that are available to the student body.
• Other National Student Organization Scholarships
• DECA – An Association of Marketing Students
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
• Junior Achievement
• Vocational Industrial Clubs of America
• Friends of James Beard Scholarships – Over 30 scholarships for students in culinary arts
• Cooking Schools.com – Information on Culinary Schools and Scholarships/Financing

Post-Secondary Programs

 

Numerous private and public post secondary schools and colleges provide credit and non-credit courses and degrees in culinary arts, restaurant and lodging management, sports management, special events, travel and tourism, and other hospitality-related fields.  As WVHTA EF learns of new sites, we will add them to this list, so be sure to check back for additions.  (Also, email us and let us know of any sites you think we need to add!)

• West Virginia
• Other U.S. Schools
• International

Other U.S. Schools