Paul Smith’s College has been awarded a transformative gift of $3,020,000 from alumnus and trustee Joe VanWhy, an award-winning hotel developer, owner and entrepreneur with an over three-decade career nationwide in the hospitality industry, to reinvigorate its hospitality education programs. This marks the largest single gift by an alumnus in College history.

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Joe VanWhy

Joe VanWhy

For VanWhy, the gift is rooted in his own journey from Paul Smith’s College student to hospitality industry leader, and an investment in where the industry is headed.

“I got my start at Paul Smith’s College, so giving back in this way is a full-circle moment,” said VanWhy. “I’m a major supporter of hospitality education. Students should have exceptional places to learn, experienced faculty to guide them, financial support to help them keep going and opportunities to gain experiential learning that will prepare them for successful hospitality careers. This donation is the catalyst for making that vision a reality.”

In the years since attending Paul Smith’s College, VanWhy has built a prolific career in hospitality. He acquired the historic Eastland Hotel (Westin by Marriott) in Portland, Maine, in the early 1990s. Over the following three decades, he developed, owned and operated numerous properties nationwide including; Hilton Hotels, Hampton Inns by Hilton Hotels, DoubleTree by Hilton, developed and built one of the nation’s first Tru by Hilton hotels, Boutique Hotels and Marriott Hotels.

Throughout his career, VanWhy has keenly identified emerging trends in hospitality and translated them into successful business ventures. That same visionary approach has shaped his commitment to hospitality education and affirmed his desire to help young people gain access to opportunities that prepare them for meaningful careers. Now, VanWhy is bringing that same vision to Paul Smith’s College.

This donation follows the College’s recently announced Work Experience Program, which will provide students with structured, career-focused work opportunities. Through VanWhy’s investment, hospitality students will gain worthwhile work opportunities, aligning closely with the College’s longstanding emphasis on learning through experience.

VanWhy’s gift will support five interconnected initiatives in two waves:

Immediate impacts

VanWhy’s immediate investments will enrich the wider campus and the students pursuing hospitality careers, reflecting VanWhy’s belief that a stronger hospitality program begins with a stronger college experience for every student.

Pickett Hall, one of the College’s core academic buildings, will receive an updated look. Planned improvements include a new exterior refresh and interior restored hallway walls and floors, classroom floors, walls, window treatments, doors, new faculty work areas and renovated public restrooms.

The gift will also establish the Joe VanWhy Hospitality Scholarship Fund to support students in their second year or beyond who are enrolled in a registered hotel degree program and demonstrate financial need.

Visionary impacts

VanWhy’s longer-term vision is even more ambitious.

His donation will support the creation of a new Hotel Department Chair/Faculty position, connecting students with the knowledge and industry experience needed to succeed in hospitality careers, along with the revitalization of St. Regis Restaurant as a student learning facility, building on another contributor’s existing commitment to rejuvenate the restaurant.

He is also providing seed funding, alongside additional donors, toward the development of Hospitality Park, a proposed on-campus living laboratory where students gain hands-on experience in hotel operations, guest services, food and beverage and outdoor hospitality.

“Our college is hands-on; the best way to learn is by doing,” said Dan Kelting, president of Paul Smith’s College. “This gift builds on that philosophy in a powerful way. Joe genuinely enjoys helping institutions think bigger about what is possible, and he understands the value of Paul Smith’s because he experienced it himself. His investment gives us an opportunity to reinvigorate our hospitality program while building new pathways for students to learn, work and prepare for their futures.”

For more information on Paul Smith’s College, please visit paulsmiths.edu.

About Paul Smith’s College

At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. As the only four-year college located in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, Paul Smith’s provides real-world, hands-on learning in fields such as business and hospitality, culinary management, forestry, environmental sciences and natural resources. We are able to draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. Our community of resourceful, enterprising, supportive and adventurous individuals collectively provide experiential education, student support in the classroom and beyond and meaningful opportunities for our alumni. We pride ourselves on research and advocacy on issues that improve our planet and the lives of the people who inhabit it. Learn more at paulsmiths.edu.

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