Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Awards $1.19 Million to Delgado Community College

December 14, 2017

Delgado Community College has been awarded $1.19 million from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to support the college’s guided hospitality career pathways program. Funding from the grant will be received over a three-year period beginning on January 1, 2018.

“We approach the new year with renewed optimism and confidence, thanks in large measure to the support of the Hilton Foundation and other humanitarian organizations whose leaders believe, as we do, that the best pathway to a brighter future is higher education,” said Joan Y. Davis, chancellor of Delgado Community College.

“As 2017 draws to a close, the Foundation is grateful to have the privilege of supporting partners working to improve the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people throughout the world,” said Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

Called “Guiding Hospitality Pathways,” the program funded by the Hilton Foundation reflects the pivotal role played by Delgado Community College both in the development of young adults and the training of hospitality industry employees in the city of New Orleans and the greater New Orleans region.

Delgado Community College is an essential component of New Orleans regional workforce training and education, offering culinary and hospitality programs tailored to workforce needs. The college is critically evaluating policies, practices and outcomes to ensure it is the preferred open enrollment training and education option in the New Orleans region. To that end, Delgado is increasing opportunities for students who are interested in going to college but who may not yet be considered college ready.

The hospitality pathways program will ensure students’ progress through Delgado’s culinary and hospitality programs while earning both short and long-term credentials. It will also strengthen culinary and hospitality graduates’ successful transition to employment or further education after leaving Delgado. 

In order to achieve these goals, the program has four strategic components. First, bolstering the college’s research capacity in order to better identify challenges and analyze effectiveness. Second, incorporating culinary and hospitality content into developmental education courses in math, reading and English. Third, developing a portable bridge program—a pathway from limited opportunities to successful careers in high-demand industries—that would include academic instruction, technical skills instruction and advising. Fourth, investigating the need for and viability of a registered apprenticeship program in the hospitality industry.

About Delgado Community College

Founded in 1921, Delgado Community College is the New Orleans region’s largest higher education institution and Louisiana’s oldest and largest community college. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and by industry organizations, Delgado provides students with the most comprehensive array of educational services available in the greater New Orleans region. Go to www.dcc.edu for more information.

About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

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. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1.5 billion in grants, distributing $109 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2016. The Foundation’s current assets are approximately $2.6 billion. For more information, please visit the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation website.