K-State Olathe

Undergraduate students earn hospitality scholarships through industry, academia partnership

Monday, Oct. 7, 2019

Hospitality management students who earned scholarships.

Jackie Spears (front left), interim dean and CEO; Kevin Timmons of Nick and Jake's Restaurant (front right); and Bill Teel of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association (center) congratulate and celebrate the 10 students who earned hospitality management scholarships.

OLATHE — Ten undergraduate students are receiving scholarships to support their studies in the hospitality management bachelor's degree completion program at Kansas State University’s Olathe campus.

Funding for the scholarships came from a Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association and Kansas State University partnership.

"It's wonderful to have Greater Kansas City's hospitality industry and K-State support these students through scholarships, encouragement and accommodating work schedules around class hours," said Brett Horton, professor of practice in hospitality management. "I'm extremely proud of the students and the obstacles many are navigating in their journey to pursue their bachelor's degree."

All of the students in the hospitality management bachelor's degree program are non-traditional students, meaning they did not graduate from high school and then enroll at a four-year university. Most have full-time or part-time careers. Others have children, come from a community college and are first-generation college students.

Olathe's hospitality program is growing. A record 15 students are enrolled in the program this fall — up from five students in fall 2018. The program offers metro-based working professionals the opportunity to live, work and earn their degree in Kansas City.

Scholarship recipients are:

• Celeste Buchanan, junior

• LiAnna Doyle, sophomore

• Maynor Gallardo, junior

• Don Gates, senior

• Brittany Gooden, senior

• Jeffery Lunsford, senior

• Matthew Peak, junior

• Myron Peterson, senior

• Kelsie Roach, junior

• Christina Zemencik, junior

Learn more about the hospitality management bachelor's degree program at olathe.k-state.edu/hospitality.