The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) announced a $1 million donation from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to support student and faculty programs at the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration.

"During these tough economic times, private sector support is especially critical," said Donald Snyder, dean of the Harrah Hotel College. "The Hilton Foundation gift provides this type of support; but its focus on specifically helping students improve the quality of their education is especially valuable."

The gift will be applied to various areas of the Harrah Hotel College including graduate assistantships, student organization development and programming, student research grants and a hotel college speaker series. Allocated over three years, the gift will also be used to enhance student recruitment and retention efforts.

Among its charitable causes, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation helps students access quality programs in hospitality education.

About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world's disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in five priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance abuse, caring for vulnerable children, and extending Conrad Hilton's support for the work of Catholic Sisters. Following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $1.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded nearly $940 million in grants, distributing more than $100 million in 2010. The Foundation's current assets are approximately $2 billion. For more information, please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org.