On May 27th, Professor Meng Fang from the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management of the University of South Carolina visited the School of Management of Shandong University. Dean of the School Wu Changqi, Vice Dean Zhang Jianghua, Tang Guiyao, and Huang Xiaoting attended the meeting. The two sides explored new paths of international cooperation and the road to educational innovation. The meeting was hosted by He Zeya, Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism.
Dean Wu welcomed Professor Meng's visit, and introduced the history, faculty, students, international cooperation of the School, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in the current context of globalization and its role in promoting higher education. Vice Dean Tang introduced the recent development of the School's international cooperation and accreditation, outlined the School's goals in international exchanges, and expressed her expectations for future cooperation programs. Xu Feng, Director of the Graduate School and the Training Office of the Graduate Working Department of the Party Committee and Professor of the Department of Culture and Tourism in the School of Management, Shandong University, said that the Graduate School would fully support the two universities to carry out higher-level academic and research cooperation.
Professor Meng introduced in detail the bachelor’s, master's, and doctoral programs as well as the cooperative education of the College, and discussed the potential teaching programs and joint training plans with Shandong University. She said that the University of South Carolina will provide a variety of cooperative programs and tuition incentives to attract and cultivate international students, and looks forward to continuing cooperation with Shandong University in the areas of academic resource sharing, exchanges among faculty and students, and joint research projects to cultivate outstanding talents.
During the exchange session, Associate Professor Wang Sujie of the Department shared her experience as the School’s first visiting scholar to the University of South Carolina, analyzed the challenges and opportunities of cooperation facing the students, and suggested expanding the scope of cooperation to other fields such as sports and digital media for more choices for students. Professor Sun Ping of the Department emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary learning and had an in-depth discussion with Professor Meng about the international cooperation projects.
Vice Dean Huang pointed out that the internationalization construction of the Department has already achieved certain results, with a solid foundation for curriculum construction and a faculty team capable of teaching in English; the laboratories of the School are well-equipped, and the faculty of the Department has good reputations at home and abroad in the fields of experimental research and behavioral research; at the same time, the School has followed the policy of talent introduction of Shandong University, and has been actively recruiting overseas talents.
The School of Management of Shandong University has a good cooperation foundation with the University of South Carolina in the U.S. Three teachers of the School have gone to the University of South Carolina for study visits, and many students have furthered their studies and worked in the University of South Carolina. The negotiation not only deepens the friendship between the two universities but also brings more academic resources and research opportunities for both sides.
The University of South Carolina, founded in 1801, is one of the oldest public research universities in the United States, located in downtown Columbia. The College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management offers degrees in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Retail, Sports and Entertainment Management, and Interdisciplinary Studies in Service Management, with the Hospitality and Tourism Management degree program ranked 12th in the U.S., and first among all universities in the Southeastern Conference.
