The Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality at Georgia State’s Mack Robinson School of Business received a generous endowment of $1 million on Aug. 18th, awarded by the foodservice industry leader Regynald Washington.
The school will be naming its graduate program the Regynald G. Washington Master of Global Hospitality Management in honor of the endowment, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Washington is currently the chief executive officer for Atlanta based Hojeij Branded Foods, beginning his career in hospitality bussing restaurant tables at 13, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Debra Cannon, director of Hospitality at Georgia State, said it is the largest donation the school has received since its naming to Cecil B. Day.
She also said it is particularly special to have the masters program named after Washington.
“He is known for excellence. He is known for ethics. It’s what he stands for. It’s what his career stands for,” she said.
Cannon said the donation is intended to help the school on the graduate level, and will aid in providing scholarships and state of the art technology in the classroom.
The endowment will also help incorporate a global trip into the curriculum. The developments are planned to be implemented in the school fairly immediately, according to Cannon
Kellyn Manders, Georgia State journalism major and hospitality minor, said the hospitality graduate program is a great decision for students because it’s only a year long.
“I’m such a Panther, I know I want to go to grad school here too,” she said. “I think this donation keeps students at Georgia State.”
