EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The New Mexico Wine & Grape Growers Association announced the creation Friday, Aug. 4, of a new scholarship program in partnership with New Mexico State University (NMSU).
The association will donate $1 from every ticket sold to the Las Cruces Harvest Wine Festival, which takes place over Labor Day Weekend, to NMSU’s Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management (HRTM) department.
“While Washington D.C. tries to make up its mind regarding student debt relief, we felt compelled to step up and help NMSU students with tuition assistance,” said Christopher Goblet, executive director of the New Mexico Wine & Grape Growers Association. “We are thrilled to reinvest some of our festival proceeds to support the next generation of hotel and restaurant professionals in New Mexico.”
The Harvest Wine Festival is “a long-standing tradition in southern New Mexico, dating back to the early 2000s, with an average annual attendance of 10,000 food and wine enthusiasts,” according to a news release sent out by the New Mexico Wine & Grape Growers Association.
The New Mexico Wine & Grape Growers Association has a long history of working closely with the NMSU on agricultural research, tourism and hospitality education and extension programs focused on grape growing, according to the release.
“The School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management (HRTM) is proud of its relationship with the New Mexico Wine & Grape Growers Association and its efforts to support one of our favorite New Mexico ‘value-added agriculture’ products,” said Dr. Jean Hertzman, director of the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management at NMSU. “Students in HRTM as well as from around the university have the opportunity to learn about New Mexico wines in our Wine Appreciation and Restaurant Operations classes. The scholarships funded by the donation from the wine festival sales will provide significant support, making a difference in the lives of our students.”
Scholarships will be awarded to NMSU students with a focus on food and beverage studies who qualify for the HRTM Departmental Scholarship.
