Despite vastly different geographies, cultures, and political structures in the U.S. and China, an improbable relationship has continued to blossom between Warner College’s Human Dimensions of Natural Resources department (HDNR) and Central China Normal University (CCNU). The common denominator revolves around educating leaders in the ever-growing, billion-dollar tourism industry. The avenue is HDNR’s Master of Tourism Management graduate program (MTM), which takes a nature-based approach to the industry with an emphasis on innovative business techniques and sustainable practices. The partnership between the two institutions has spanned a decade, and not only survived but, perhaps surprisingly, thrived during the global pandemic, and recently birthed a second program called Master of Park and Protected Area Management (MPPM).
The MTM collaboration has celebrated 218 total graduates, including 27 last month since its first class finished in 2017. One notable alum is Tong Yao, the Outstanding Student Award recipient and leader of the Class of 2021. Yao has published three articles in tourism industry journals and currently works for Hubei United Investment Group, a tourism real estate company, where he garnered another award – the 2022 United Investment Group Outstanding New Employee Award.
“Through the international platform enabled by MTM-China, I was able to interact with global experts in subject areas in the classroom and the field,” Yao said. “I was also able to exchange ideas with and learn from leaders in China and the U.S. across sectors involving national parks, ski resorts, destination communities, and hotels. These experiences have greatly elevated my understanding and practices in sustainable tourism management along with my classmates.”
The initial idea to expand MTM’s program to CCNU sparked in 2012 through casual conversation outside a CCNU building. By the fall of 2015, the first MTM-China syllabi were distributed to students in Wuhan, China – home of CCNU and the capital of the Hubei Province. For the first few years, HDNR Professors Lina Xiong and David Knight split time overseas conducting in-person engagement and remote teaching in Fort Collins to enrich student experiences. A team of seven CCNU professors and other CSU personnel also aided with instruction and administrative duties. Against all odds, with 2020 ushering in the endless ripple of the global COVID-19 pandemic, MTM-China came out unscathed. The team skillfully maneuvered to address their absence in Wuhan, eventually seeing enrollment steady at its capacity of 30 students a cohort. With COVID-19 restrictions dwindling, the 2023 Fall semester marked CSU’s return to Wuhan with new full-time faculty and the MPPM program in tow.
The Launch of Master of Park and Protected Area Management
Built on the success of MTM-China and the strong partnership between CSU and CCNU, a new master’s program focused on parks and protected area management was successfully launched in Fall 2022, with 57 students enrolled in the first cohort. The MPPM curriculum, developed by HDNR’s Center for Protected Area Management, aims to teach a holistic understanding of protected area values, services, and governance along with the expertise to operationalize those values through effective planning and management. In July 2023, two students and four faculty from CCNU visited CSU’s Fort Collins campus to strengthen the partnership in person and resume talks on further program development. The faculty team met with different offices and departments at CSU, including the Office of International Programs, CSU Online, and HDNR. Students participated in various guest lectures (online and in-person), several field trips to local parks and protected areas, and social events.
The MPPM-China program emerged at a unique moment coinciding with the 30 by 30 initiative. The initiative calls for governments to designate 30% of Earth’s land and ocean area as protected areas by 2030. It became a target of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022, highlighting international goals to expand conservation efforts while mitigating climate change and other threats to human existence and well-being. Seizing this opportunity and global interests, MPPM aims to prepare leaders and highly knowledgeable practitioners for protected area management and sustainable tourism. Each student holds invaluable potential for revitalizing China’s protected area system, its newly developed national park system, and corporate leadership in global conservation. The first MPPM-China graduation class featured 57 students last week.
“I am truly proud of our two master’s programs in collaboration with CCNU,” Associate Professor Lina Xiong said. “This journey is paved by the relentless effort from both sides in the past 10 years. I am grateful for the team members’ contribution as well as the department’s vision that ignited these programs. I am looking forward to the next decade of excellence!”
For more information on the Master of Parks and Protected Area Management program: https://www.online.colostate.edu/degrees/mppm-china/
For more information on the Master of Tourism programs: https://warnercnr.colostate.edu/hdnr/master-tourism-management/
