ATLANTA — Editor's note: The above video is from a previous version of this story.
Morris Brown College has been awarded a $3 million grant in an effort to expand its Hospitality Certificate program to students in rural Georgia. The milestone grant, which was made by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, marks the largest donation to the College in the last 20 years.
The grant will help to digitize and market the school’s Hospitality Certificate program in an effort to reach students who would otherwise not be able to access traditional educational opportunities.
The program currently includes a partnership with Hilton Hotels to build a hotel on campus that will provide classroom and training spaces for students. The partnership with Hilton is advantageous for potential students given the company’s large and diverse portfolio of hotels across Georgia, including in several rural areas.
“The partnership between Morris Brown College and Hilton Hotels represents a promising model of employer engagement that both trains students and provides strong connections to immediate job opportunities in a thriving industry. We believe this investment in the reinvigorated Morris Brown could be a scalable model for other industries and locations, including Montana State University, where the foundation is funding a similar program, and we invite others to join us in support," said Daniel Shoy, Jr., managing director, Youth Development and Atlanta’s Westside, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
The Hospitality program and partnership with Hilton aligns with Morris Brown’s core mission as the College is interested in serving young people across Georgia, including those in rural areas who can more easily access educational training through online programs. The program will not only help students gain skills needed for work and connect them to job opportunities but also help address the labor shortage in the hospitality industry.
“I am thrilled about this collaboration with the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, which has a long history of supporting young people, including in the Westside of Atlanta where Morris Brown is situated,” said Dr. Kevin James, president of Morris Brown College. “We anticipate Morris Brown becoming a prominent source of diverse talent for careers in hospitality and organizational leadership. My vision is for Morris Brown to emerge as one of the premier institutions in the nation for Black and Brown individuals to acquire expertise in hospitality, with a particular focus on working in and managing restaurants and hotels.”
Morris Brown will begin developing the online platform for the Hospitality Certificate in early 2024, with the first cohort expected to enroll in Fall 2024 and complete the program in Spring 2025.