Hyatt Regency Atlanta hotel celebrates 50th anniversary with GSU endowment
May 25,2017
The Hyatt Regency Atlanta hotel and Georgia State University, both in downtown Atlanta, have announced creation of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hospitality Scholarship at the university, funded by a $100,000 endowment from the Hyatt.
This scholarship will provide an opportunity to young leaders attending the school who are pursuing degrees in the hospitality industry.
The scholarship is part of the hotel’s 50th anniversary celebration this month with the annual scholarship having been established through a collaboration between the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration in Georgia State’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business.
The Hyatt Regency Atlanta, the Hyatt Hotels Corp. and the Hyatt Hotels Foundation are each contributing to the $100,000 endowment, which is designed to fund the scholarship in perpetuity.
The School of Hospitality Administration will select recipients each year based on academic achievement and other criteria. Halle Neeley, a Georgia State senior from Atlanta, will be the scholarship’s inaugural recipient.
The hotel honored Neeley at its 50th anniversary celebration earlier this month.
With more than 50,000 students, Georgia State is the largest university in the state and is a national leader in graduating students from diverse backgrounds. MERGED GRAPHS In the last decade alone, it has raised its graduation rates by 22 percentage points.
Twenty-six percent of its students are first-generation college students and 69 percent receive federal financial aid.
“We are honored to partner with Georgia State University to create this enduring gift for Halle and future young leaders in our community,” Peter McMahon, the hotel’s general manager, said in a news release. “Hyatt’s purpose is to care for people so they can be their best, which means caring for our colleagues, guests and communities, and this gift is an extension of that commitment.”
McMahon also said an investment like this in the community’s future “is the best way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hyatt Regency Atlanta.”