Dave Chatterton, General Manager of HTA’s Old Town Trolley Tours & Attractions of St. Augustine and new chair of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Advisory Board at Flagler College, cited the first-hand personal value of a career in hospitality and tourism as inspiration for such a scholarship.
“Tourism and hospitality have provided a fulfilling and rewarding quality of life for myself and thousands of current and former employees working at Historic Tours of America,” Chatterton said. “It teaches important life skills like servant leadership, communication, problem-solving, and etiquette. We at Historic Tours of America are proud and excited to offer this scholarship to a student in need to help them achieve their personal and career goals.”
The Historic Tours of America Endowed Scholarship for Hospitality and Tourism Management will be matched by a one-to-one grant provided by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust.
Since the early 1970s, Historic Tours of America has helped travelers “See the Best First” through tours, attractions, and on-the-water historic ship excursions in the great American cities of Boston, Key West, San Diego, Savannah, Nashville, Washington D.C., and St. Augustine. The company was originally founded in Key West to transport retail customers along Duval Street but now entertains over three million guests annually.
“Historic Tours of America has been and continues to be one of the strongest supporters of the HTM Program at Flagler College,” Freytag Professor of Hospitality and Tourism at Flagler College, David Rivera, said. “The financial assistance HTA has provided to the HTM Program in the form of an endowed scholarship will help to alleviate the financial burden of tuition and other fees on students, thus allowing the HTM students to focus on their studies and participate in extracurricular activities without the added stress of financial constraints.”
Since its creation in 2015, the HTM major has been among Flagler’s most popular courses of study. The success of annual events like the St. Augustine Spanish Food and Wine Festival- where HTM students organize, manage, and execute a major hospitality event under the guidance of local professionals- makes the program one of the College’s most innovative and immersive.
“This is a mutually beneficial partnership between HTA and Flagler’s HTM Program,” Rivera said. “HTA gains access to a pool of highly talented students while our students can receive real-world experience, networking opportunities, and potential job prospects upon graduation. This partnership ultimately leads to a win-win situation for all parties involved.”
If you are interested in making a gift to support Flagler College’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Program, please contact Jeff Davitt, Senior Director of Development, at JDavitt@flagler.edu.
