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ASU, Hainan University's joint tourism college graduates 1st class of students

May 25, 2021

Each grad receives a degree from each institution in 1 of 3 fields

More than 220 students will receive bachelor’s degrees this month from Hainan University-Arizona State University International Tourism College (HAITC) in the southern Chinese city of Haikou.

Eighteen more will follow in August, completing the first cohort of a program that began in 2017 when ASU’s Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions teamed with Hainan University to grow the pipeline of trained professionals in the expanding fields of international tourism, parks and recreation, urban and rural planning and public service.

Members of each year’s cohort are fully admitted as ASU students with access to all ASU services.

Watts College Dean Jonathan Koppell said the graduation represents a triumph for ASU, HNU and international collaboration that fulfills the need for qualified graduates in growing fields.

“When we talk at Watts College about our desire to ‘be the solution,’ we know that effort will literally take us around the world,” Koppell said. “This partnership started with a shared desire to train a cohort of leaders who would guide tourism and recreation development with an eye toward community health, cultural sensitivity and long-term prosperity. Seeing this effort bear fruit is enormously gratifying for us and our partners at Hainan University.

“We appreciate the confidence the Chinese Ministry of Education placed in our team and look forward now to the expansion of HAITC to include additional degrees and learning opportunities,” Koppell said.

Kathleen Andereck, HAITC, director, associate professor, ASU, Hainan University

HAITC Director Kathleen Andereck (standing left) walks through a classroom at Hainan University in Haikou, China. ASU-HNU photo

Graduate Ziming Jin said the program offered an excellent opportunity to study parks and recreation management, but also to make great strides in self-improvement.

Jin will be coming to Arizona in the fall to begin studies at the School of Community Resources and Development toward a master’s degree.

“My English skills have advanced during the past four years of studies,” Jin said. “Based on the education model of ASU, I gained chances to participate in several research projects and made great success under them. I published an English-language article in (the journal) Anatolia (that was) advised by the ASU faculty. These remarkable experiences have helped me in finding a lifelong committed career goal as an academic.”

HAITC Director Kathleen Andereck said 240 of 261 students who began studies in fall 2017 will complete their degrees this year, a 92% graduation rate. Over 1,000 students are currently enrolled in the distinctive program.

“Our students earn two degrees, one from HNU and one from ASU, so they have worked extra hard to achieve their academic goals,” said Andereck, a School of Community Resources and Development professor.

Andereck said that so far, 97 students have been admitted to graduate schools at universities around the world, including the United States, China, Australia and the United Kingdom.

“We are proud of our students and know they will continue to be successful as they become professionals in their chosen fields,” Andereck said.

Four years at HAITC broadened Yuanxun Wei’s vision through exposure to instructors and classmates from several nations.

“I have gradually formed an international thinking and I knew how to appreciate and understand different cultures,” said Wei, whose degree is in tourism development and management. “Various activities and student interest groups organized by HAITC allow me to fully demonstrate my talents. At the same time, I have also improved my ability to cooperate and coordinate with others. We used our imagination and innovation to create many interesting designs. … I have gained a clearer understanding of my personal interests and future plans. In the future, I am going to the United States for postgraduate study and am ready to dive further in the field of tourism management.”

HAITC, students, first cohort, ASU, Hainan University, fall 2017

The first cohort of HAITC students in fall 2017 at Hainan University in Haikou, China. ASU-HNU photo

Students will receive bachelor’s degrees in one of three different degree programs.

Two degrees are in the School of Community Resources and Development. One hundred twenty-two students are graduating with degrees in tourism development and management, which is matched with Hainan’s hotel-management degree. About half of HAITC’s enrollment is in this degree program.

Sixty-eight are receiving degrees in parks and recreation management, which is paired with Hainan’s geography and urban and rural planning degree.

Fifty are receiving degrees in public service and public policy in ASU’s School of Public Affairs, matched with Hainan’s public administration degree.

Many students have won provincial and national awards, Andereck said.

Zongrui Liu, whose degree is in public service and public policy, gradually became familiar with the research methods used in the area of public policy, as well as in tourism and parks and recreation management.

“I will continue my graduate study in Northeastern University in the U.S. Besides, the program has offered me the opportunities to improve my English proficiency as well as volunteering activities in internships,” Liu said. “I have volunteered for the Boao Forum for Asia for two years and gained the chance to take an internship at Pan-Asian Life Insurance Company Hong Kong Branch and Xinhua E-Commerce in Beijing. So I appreciate what I have obtained from the HAITC program.”

The HAITC experience has helped Ziyuan Quian establish a more complete worldview.

“I can accept different cultures more tolerantly and have an international perspective to improve my competitiveness,” said Quian, whose degree is in public service and public policy. “These experiences helped me get admissions to the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne. Thank you, HAITC, for giving me the opportunity to study.”

Commencement ceremonies will be held at the Hainan University campus in Haikou, capital of the island province of Hainan, just off the southern coast of China.

Top photo: The HAITC is housed in this building on the campus of Hainan University in Haikou, China.

Mark J. Scarp

Media Relations Officer , Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions

602-496-0001

 
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ASU Counseling Services now available 24/7, 365 days a year

Students from 16 to 66 utilize ASU Counseling Services.
May 25, 2021

Open Call and Open Chat features make accessing mental health resources easier for students

Over the past year and then some, Arizona State University has showed great resilience in the face of the pandemic, swiftly pivoting to new technologies and modes of learning to ensure its students’ continued access to excellent education. But sometimes — and perhaps especially during times of great change and upheaval — students need access to more than just academic services.

After first taking the plunge into offering remote appointments in March 2020, ASU Counseling Services is now available to any student, anywhere in the world, at any time, day or night.

“Even before the pandemic, ASU functioned in a 24/7, 365 global environment. Over time, we have transitioned academically to be more responsive to that,” said Aaron Krasnow, associate vice president of ASU Health Services. “And now we have to make sure our services are equally as responsive. We can't have environments that are lagging behind the student experience that they signed up for.”

ASU Counseling Services’ expansion to a 24/7, 365-days-a-year global service is thanks to the addition of Open Call and Open Chat. While students are still welcome to drop into any of the physical locations during regular business hours for same-day services, Open Call and Open Chat function as additional options to access the same level of care and expertise, wherever and whenever they need it.

Available in six languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Spanish, Open Call and Open Chat can be accessed through the MySSP @ASU website, by downloading the MySSP app or by calling 877-258-7429. ASU Counseling Services and MySSP are connected in an intentional, ongoing way to ensure students have streamlined and coordinated services, whether they are accessing care in-person or remotely.

“We've always had same-day availability, but there’s been a big increase in students who were saying, ‘I just need to talk right now,’” said Erin Trujillo, director of ASU Counseling Services. “So now we have the ability to stand up a sort of fast, casual, yet informative and confidential communication with a mental health professional for them.”

Student feedback played a big role in the design of the new services, with input from the student health and counseling advisory committee, conversations with student organizations like Devils 4 Devils and ongoing satisfaction surveys.

“All of that creates this ongoing feedback experience so that student priorities are out in front of our design, so that it's consistent with their feedback, as opposed to us designing it and then seeing what they think,” Krasnow said.

Though the new Open Chat and Open Call services are designed with ease and speed of access in mind, they’re different from crisis services.

“A crisis is an acute situation where, for example, someone may be feeling suicidal,” Krasnow said. “These services are intended for situations that aren’t crises, but when you still want to talk to someone at a moment’s notice.”

Open Chat and Open Call are also different from 360 Life Services, the free, 24/7 counseling and crisis intervention support service available specifically to ASU Online students.

“360 Life Services is a fantastic existing service for ASU Online students,” Krasnow said. “We think of Open Call and Open Chat as an extension of the physical counseling center itself; for students who are used to an immersive experience, it’s an extension of that environment.”

In the first month since Open Call and Open Chat have been available, Trujillo said all manner of college students, from age 16 to 66, have used the services.

“So we've already identified that college students at every stage of their academic career – undergraduates and graduates, all age groups – find this to be a helpful resource,” she said.

To learn more about all that ASU Counseling Services has to offer, visit the “Where to Start” page on their website.

Top photo courtesy of Pixabay