The Hainan University–Arizona State University International Tourism College (HAITC) received a prestigious award from the Chinese Ministry of Education as it celebrated its first cohort of master’s degree recipients in late May. In June, ASU and HNU also agreed to renew their joint administration of HAITC for another five years. HAITC, which offers degrees in tourism management, parks, recreation and sport management, as well as public service and public policy, was recognized as one of only 20 international joint programs on the Chinese Ministry of Education's inaugural list of Excellent Cases of Chinese-Foreign Cooperatively-Run Schools.
Kelly Bricker, HAITC director and professor in the School of Community Resources and Development in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, said the Excellent Cases award is a huge honor for HAITC and ASU. “The word is getting out. It’s the excellence of our program content, supported by a high-quality faculty and staff”, she said.
This year marks the first time the Excellent Cases designation was issued; the ministry said in a statement, “marking a milestone and providing a powerful reference for society to understand Chinese-foreign cooperative education comprehensively and objectively. This groundbreaking evaluation initiative will promote the development of Chinese-foreign cooperative education to a higher and deeper level, injecting new vitality into China's high-level education and opening up to the outside world”.
Bricker stated that HAITC, established in 2017, is the newest program among the 20 recognized. She mentioned that the award serves as affirmation from the Ministry of Education that HAITC is a high-quality program. On June 13, HNU officials visited Tempe to join ASU Executive Vice President Chris Howard, chief operating officer of the university’s Academic Enterprise, in signing an agreement to extend the partnership between the two universities for another five years.
According to Bricker, an associate dean at Watts College, the agreement also includes a commitment from both institutions to support future academic programs and research development, reaffirming their dedication to excellence in instruction and program design. Additionally, the universities agreed to start developing a new program from ASU’s Thunderbird School of Global Management, with enrollment for new students beginning in fall 2025.
The college honored 12 new master’s degree graduates at a ceremony in China on May 24, which also celebrated students earning bachelor’s degrees. Bricker and Watts College Dean and President’s Professor Cynthia Lietz were in attendance. This year, seven students are receiving Master of Public Administration degrees from ASU, while five are receiving Master of Science degrees in tourism management.
According to ASU statistics, HAITC’s spring 2024 cohort of bachelor’s degree recipients totals 262, surpassing the spring 2023 cohort of 255. Bricker noted that the official conferral of HAITC’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees will take place later in June. For the upcoming fall semester, HAITC anticipates welcoming 30 new master’s degree students. Bricker also mentioned that over 70% of HAITC’s bachelor’s degree recipients have applied to graduate school. “It’s really a true testament to the quality of education our faculty is giving to our students. I’d be remiss if I didn’t recognize the amazing faculty and staff. Without them, none of it would be possible”, Bricker said.
Credit is also due to the quality of collaboration between the two institutions, Bricker added. “Patience, concern, kindness, inspiration and knowledge peppered with a willingness to be innovative and create something very special with our students is what makes this work. It takes a village, actually two very large villages, dedicated to excellence, to make this happen. We are very fortunate to be a part of this uniquely situated program and partnership”. she said.
