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MIAMI & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits (Southern Glazer's)—the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol—and Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, the leading diverse hospitality school in the country—today announced a groundbreaking Alliance focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. This initiative is part of an ongoing commitment to address gaps in underrepresentation and inequity across the hospitality industry. The Alliance will create a broad range of opportunities including educational programming, academic research, recruiting, mentoring, career pathing, scholarships, employee training/micro-credentialing and other partnerships.

The Alliance includes the first-ever DEI-Endowed Faculty Chair at FIU—of which Southern Glazer’s was the charter supporter. In July, the FIU Chaplin School announced it had appointed Brian Barker as the school’s new endowed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Professor. In this role, Barker is focused on DEI curriculum content development, expansion of a mentoring program, establishing Chaplin School as a research center and resource for DEI in the hospitality industry, and building and leading a multi-institutional alliance to address equity gaps and create a pathway to leadership for Black, Hispanic, women and other underrepresented talent in hospitality management.

Barker brings deep hospitality education and hotel experience to his new role at this top 10 public and leading diverse hospitality school in the country. With more than 70 percent women and 74 countries represented, the Chaplin School graduates more undergraduate Black, Hispanic and international students than any other hospitality school.

“We hope this Alliance becomes a model for hospitality education as we look to build and inspire the next generation of diverse and inclusive leaders in our industry,” said Wayne E. Chaplin, Chief Executive Officer, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. “We invite all members of the hospitality community to join us in reshaping the future and driving real progress across the entire hospitality ecosystem.”

In addition to the Alliance, Southern Glazer’s announced a new Marvin and Hazel Shanken DEI Scholarship, named in honor of the publisher and founder of M. Shanken Communications and his wife—who have donated millions of dollars to support various causes in the hospitality community over a 40-year timespan. The scholarship will benefit students enrolled at the FIU Chaplin School.

“DEI is a complex topic with several organizational and institutional opportunities, particularly in the hospitality industry,” said Barker. “We are forever grateful to our industry partners, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits and Shanken Communications, for joining with us and taking the initiative to change the dynamics in hospitality to make it inclusive for all.”

To learn more about the multi-institutional alliance or to support it, e-mail Brian Barker at [email protected] for more details.

About Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol, and proud to be a multi-generational, family-owned company. The Company has operations in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. In 2021, Southern Glazer’s was selected as a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, as well as named by Newsweek as a Top 100 Most Loved Workplace. Southern Glazer’s urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sgwinespirits and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SouthernGlazers.

About FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management:

Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management is a Top 10 hospitality school among U.S. Public Universities and ranked 35th in the world. Nearly 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students from across the nation and around the globe choose FIU for its outstanding reputation, advantageous campus locations in Miami, expert faculty, rich curriculum and real career opportunities in the international hotel, foodservice, beverage management, travel, tourism, revenue management, entertainment, and mega and large scale event industries. As the leading diverse hospitality program with over 70% women and students from 74 countries represented, Chaplin School graduates more undergraduate black and Hispanic students than any other school. In August 2006, FIU unveiled the first U.S. school of hospitality and tourism in Tianjin, China. The Marriott Tianjin China Program, ranked #1 in China, is FIU's largest international program, with a capacity for up to 1,000 students. For more information about Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, visit http://hospitality.fiu.edu.

About FIU:

Florida International University is a Top 50 public university that drives real talent and innovation in Miami and globally. High research (R1) activity and high social mobility come together at FIU to uplift and accelerate learner success in a global city by focusing in the areas of environment, health, innovation, and justice. Today, FIU has two campuses and multiple centers. FIU serves a diverse student body of more than 58,000 and 260,000 Panther alumni. U.S. News and World Report places dozens of FIU programs among the best in the nation, including international business at No. 2. Washington Monthly Magazine ranks FIU among the top 20 public universities contributing to the public good.