Quarterly News & Updates

March 2025

TSLF Awards $8,000 in Scholarship Funding to TCC Hospitality & Culinary Arts Students

TSLF awarded $8,000 in scholarship funding to 11 TCC Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts students for the fall of 2024 and for spring 2025. The scholarship program is sponsored by Texas Live! and managed by TSLF.

The scholarships were awarded to students pursuing degrees in hospitality management and culinary arts. Students must demonstrate a financial need to be eligible for the scholarships. TSLF is pleased to partner with Texas Live! to continue offering this opportunity to students in our community.

TSLF Awards $5,000 in Grant Funding to Arlington ISD Career & Technical Education Teachers

Five Arlington ISD teachers received $1,000 grants for career and technical education programs. The grants were recently awarded to the teachers during a special presentation at the Dan Dipert CTC. The funds will be used to support Career and Technical Student Organizations and CTE programs this spring. The grant program is part of TSLF’s Teach Tourism Initiative, a program that aims to arm teachers with the tools needed to promote tourism careers to their students. The application period for 2026 grants will open in the fall 2025.

Featured in the photo: Sandy Hitt, Arlington ISD CTE Specialist; Sean Fanning, Culinary teacher, Seguin High School; Anai Arzola and Greg Almendarez, Culinary teachers, Dan Dipert CTC; Courtney Leppke, Kinesiology teacher, Dan Dipert CTC; and Asia Cochran, Culinary teacher, Sam Houston High School

The 40 Futures Initiative Program to Return to Arlington ISD in Spring 2025

TSLF will offer its 40 Futures Initiative Program, a life skills training program, to Arlington ISD students interested in careers in travel and tourism, culinary arts, and sports management. The program was developed in 2020, and virtual sessions were offered to students from 2020 through 2022 during the pandemic. The spring classes will be held at Choctaw Stadium in April.

More information about the program is available. Click here to learn more about the 40 Futures Program from Dr. Nate Hearne and here for student sentiments.

Texas Hotel & Lodging Association Hosts a Webinar for Arlington ISD CTE Teachers

THLA recently hosted a webinar for Arlington ISD’s CTE Hospitality Services and Culinary Arts teachers.

The program was hosted by Debbie Wieland THLA’s Education Outreach & Foundation Director. Ms. Wieland provided teachers with information about career opportunities in the hotel industry as well as shared information about programs and resources available to both teachers and students. For information about THLA’s programs, contact Debbie Wieland, dwieland@texaslodging.com.

Tourism News Brief:

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the U.S. economy will have added 6.7 million jobs from 2023 to 2033. Of that, about 1 in 8 will be added in the leisure and hospitality sector, which is projected to be 822,700 new jobs. This is the third largest projected employment increase of all 17 major sectors after professional business services, healthcare, and social assistance.

To help prepare students for these additional career opportunities, TSLF is partnering with several industry organizations to provide specialized programs in travel and tourism. To partner with TSLF, contact Mary German, mary@travelandsportslegacyfoundation.org.

TSLF Celebrates National Career & Technical Education Month

February is National CTE Month. In recognition of Arlington ISD's CTE programs, industry leaders met with students to present information about careers in travel and tourism and sports management.

The sessions were held at the Dan Dipert CTC and Sam Houston High School. Nine speakers met with students in 14 travel and tourism, hospitality, culinary, and kinesiology classes. A special thanks to speakers: Joseph Chapa and Bohn Crain, Legends Hospitality; Mauricio Galante, Golf Center of Arlington; Roland Garcia, Crowne Plaza Arlington; Bill McKenzie, La Quinta Inn & Suites; Dr. Michael Nalley, UT Arlington Business Department/Hospitality Management Program; Dr. Alison White, UT Arlington Kinesiology Program; and Matt Wilson, Arlington Sports Commission.

Dr. Alison White, Clinical Assistant Professor, UT Arlington Kinesiology Department

TSLF Launches the Sports Career Pathways Program for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County

In partnership with the UT Arlington Kinesiology Department and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County (BGCGTC), the program will provide BGCGTC members with guest speaker presentations, venue tours, a spring fitness camp and a summer sports program.

BGCGTC has developed the Ultimate Sports Collective interest clubs at their Arlington and Fort Worth branches. The clubs were formed after members expressed interest in sports careers and opportunities.

The program kicked off in February with guest speaker presentations at the Arlington and Fort Worth branches and aims to provide BGCGTC members with information about careers in sports management. The program is sponsored by the Cotton Bowl Foundation.

Dr. Andy Bowne, President, Tarrant County College Southeast Campus

TSLF Hosts a Community Appreciation Luncheon at Tarrant County College Southeast Campus

TSLF recently hosted a Community Appreciation Luncheon at Tarrant County College Southeast Campus. The luncheon was an opportunity to thank TSLF donors and supporters for their support and to showcase Tarrant County College’s new facilities. Lunch was provided by the Tarrant County College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program students.

UTA Will Launch Hospitality Programs in August

by Brent DeRaad, President & CEO Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau

We at the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) and Travel & Sports Legacy Foundation (TSLF) are thrilled that the University of Texas at Arlington is launching two programs in Hospitality Management in August 2025.

UTA will offer Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science programs that will offer students separate paths based on their interests.

The BBA in Hospitality Management is a specialized degree. Students will gain practical and theoretical knowledge of core business and hospitality competencies in hotel, restaurant, and tourism management. One requirement that we support fully is that 300 hours of work experience that will be required to earn the degree.

The BBA degree also introduces students to travel, tourism, casinos, food and beverage, hotels/lodging and senior living.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management is a deeper dive into the hospitality industry with introductions to guest experience management, tourism strategy, hospitality operations, analytics, financial acumen, human resources, sales and marketing, business communications, and revenue management.

To earn the BS degree, students will be required to demonstrate 500 hours of work experience.

With more than 14,000 jobs in Arlington’s tourism and hospitality industries, and more that are unfilled, we are enthused that UTA students pursuing these new degrees will be likely candidates to fill local internships, and/or part or full-time tourism and hospitality jobs in Arlington.

Dr. Michael Nalley will lead UTA’s hospitality management degree programs as a Professor of Practice and Director of Hospitality. He is actively promoting the program to high school and community college students, along with the community.

We thank UTA President Dr. Jennifer Cowley, Provost Dr. Tamara Brown, and Dr. Nalley for their commitment to addressing a major Arlington workforce need by creating these programs. We look forward to promoting these programs to the students and teachers we engage as part of our Travel & Sports Legacy Foundation programs.

Stay connected to TSLF through Facebook, LinkedIn, and the TSLF website to learn more about travel and sports management programs for high school and college students.

Thank You Sponsors!

The Travel & Sports Legacy Foundation is the 501c3 nonprofit charitable arm of the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau. TSLF connects the community with great careers, tourism enterprises with talented people, and the tourism industry with a more sustainable and employable future.

The Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau markets and develops the city as a premier sports, business, and leisure entertainment destination to achieve new tourism spending benefits for the visitor industry, the community, and its residents.