Dolly Parton’s Dollywood to Cover Tuition for Employees Who Want to Further Their Education
Dolly Parton's Dollywood will soon cover the tuition of any employee looking to further their eduction. A new program announced on Tuesday allows for 100 percent coverage of tuition and books in many cases.
Employees of Dollywood Parks and Resort will be eligible for the tuition program on their very first day of employment, beginning Feb. 24. The new GROW U program will provide full coverage in partnership with 30 learning partners. Eligible programs include business administration and leadership, culinary, finance, technology and marketing (per WATE-TV). Additionally, $5,250 a year is available for 150 other programs at these 30 institutions.
Parton owns a piece of Dollywood along with Herschend Enterprises, but she's very involved in the day-to-day operations of the resort and theme park, and her image elevated a mid-level attraction to a top-tier park in east Tennessee. It also made Pigeon Forge and surrounding areas even more of a tourist attraction than they were prior to her involvement in the mid-80s. Other examples of her commitment to education include the Imagination Library, a program that sends free books to children worldwide.
The Dollywood franchise includes Dollywood's Splash Country, Dolly Parton's Stampede, Dollywood's DreamMore Resort, Dollywood Cabins and Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show.
This news comes amid a surge of positive news for the singer. Last week it was announced she is a nominee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The next day she was announced as host of the 2022 ACM Awards in Las Vegas, and soon after she shared that a new duet of "9 to 5" was coming with Kelly Clarkson.
On March 4, Parton will release her new studio album, Run, Rose, Run. The album is a partner to a new book she helped write, also called Run, Rose, Run. Parton's last non-themed album came in 2016.