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Hainan University - Arizona State University International Tourism College

HAITC

An International Collaboration with the Ministry of Education in China to offer degree programs at Hainan University, China.

In a unique international collaboration with the Ministry of Education in China, ASU has established Hainan University-Arizona State University International College of Tourism (HAITC) to address the increasing need for highly educated professionals able to expand in the areas of parks, recreation, and tourism, as well as public administration. This collaboration creates a global initiative to prepare professionals to leverage knowledge in the areas of economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspects of community development and management.

ASU participates in this collaboration with Hainan University, a top-tier college in southern China, offering three undergraduate degree programs. Two of the degrees are in ASU’s School of Community Resources and Development: tourism development and management, which is matched with Hainan’s hotel-management degree, and parks and recreation management, which is paired with Hainan’s geography and urban and rural planning degree.

ASU’s School of Public Affairs supports the third degree, which is Public Service and Public Policy (PSPP), matched with Hainan’s Public Administration degree.

New for HAITC in Fall 2022! ASU is now collaborating on a Master’s degree program including two degrees, a Master's in Public Administration and Master's in Tourism Management.

We encourage you to learn more about our exciting partnership with Hainan University!

Saguaro & Surf News

HAITC Logo

Welcome to HAITC!

It is hard to believe another year, HAITC’s fifth year has ended!  As such, my message in this note focuses the successes of our faculty, students, and staff.  As an international program, we pride ourselves on having an international faculty to guide students forward in their careers.  From East Africa, to Iran, Jamaica, Korea, Portugal, Romania, the USA, and of course China, our students interact with a faculty who bring worldwide perspectives and knowledge to our courses and programs.  COVID-19 has impacted some of our faculty’s ability to return to China, however we are confident the 2022-23 academic year be a year of change, with most faculty returning to campus.

Despite COVID, faculty have been busy publishing and presenting!  To note just some of the accomplishments, Dr. Choe presented a conference paper on “Exploring sustainable development via stakeholder engagement protected areas at the Asia Pacific Tourism Association, in Jeju, South Korea – her paper was recognized as a finalist for the best paper. Dr. Xu completed a book chapter titled “Gendered Mobilities in China: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Women in Tourism, and presented with 6 diligent students, on changing practices of tourism stakeholders in Covid-19 affected destinations, among other presentations – congratulations HAITC students - S.X. Liu, Y.H. Xu, C. Liu. S.Q. Guan, S.Q., G. M. Wu, C.J. and Z.M. Chu! 

Dr. Xiao received the runner-up award for her paper on “Economic optimization of historic preservation in national parks: Future transitions for climate change and cultural resources”, coauthored with our very own student, Li Peizhe and Erin Seekamp, at the Travel and Tourism Research Association Annual Conference (TTRA). Dr. Szabo also presented at TTRA on “Could tourism be the real gold mine?" with Dr. Ferreira.  And Dr. Ferreira published an article in Tourism Review International titled “Tourism micro entrepreneurship: state of the art and research agenda.” Dr. Sang Eun Lee presented a conference paper on “The effect of the work-life policy use on the scholarly productivity and innovation for women in science and technology” at the The Korean Association for Policy Studies Winter Conference, in Seoul, Republic of Korea. One of our newest faculty members, starting this fall, 2022, Dr. Walter Huber, conducted a research project on the investigation of “Crime trends in the American city of Zanesville thru 2021.” In this project, Dr. Huber reviewed 215,000 incidents to determine trends, determine likely effects of various interventions, and offer policy solutions to improve safety within the city of Zanesville.

We could not accomplish much without the continued support of our dedicated staff, Yaxin Guo, Brynn Kowalski, DJ Ross, and Evonne Taylor-Harris – thank you team!  I am grateful to Brynn’s leadership in getting this new website up and running, with the support of our terrific College team in making this a reality!

A very special thank you also to Dean Wang and the team at HNU, who have been wonderful collaborators during my first year!

As we look to a new year and semester ahead, we are excited about welcoming our first cohort enthusiastic about new programs and initiatives to support our students and moving to the new campus in 2023!  Suffice to say, we have an exciting year ahead, and look forward to continuing to address the challenges we face as a global society, through education and research within our disciplines. Very briefly, some of the new initiatives we look forward to in the coming year include:

  • Expanded research collaboration with HNU’s Center for Research and ASU’s Center for Sustainable Tourism
  • Developing a first-year orientation program for all incoming HAITC students
  • Re-igniting the international visitation program we have with HNU and ASU
  • A safe and engaging return to Hainan and the new campus!

Best wishes and be sure to stay tuned to new initiatives and events posted here!

Kelly Bricker

Director, HAITC

Arizona State University