The HNU-ASU Joint International Tourism College at Hainan University (HAITC) has been selected as one of the outstanding cases of Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions in 2024, according to the list released by the Chinese-Foreign Joint Education Committee on May 19.

The HAITC is listed as one of the outstanding cases of Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions by the Chinese-Foreign Joint Education Committee on May 19, 2024. [Photo/WeChat account: Hainan University]

This selection aims to comprehensively summarize the achievements made in Sino-foreign cooperative education, share experiences and contribute to the Double First-Class initiative in higher education by creating an internationally recognized Sino-foreign joint education brand with Chinese characteristics.

The evaluation targeted non-independent legal-entity Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions offering undergraduate and higher programs approved by the Ministry of Education (MOE), focusing on indicators such as Party-building, ideological education, resource introduction, disciplinary development, enrollment quality, employability, institutional innovation and broader impact, as well as representative achievements.

A photo of HAITC COFFEE on campus [Photo/WeChat account: Hainan University]

Established in 2017, the HAITC currently offers three undergraduate programs, namely Tourism Development and Management (TDM), Parks and Recreation Management (PRM) and Public Service and Public Policy (PSPP), as well as two master's programs, namely Community Resources and Development - Tourism (CRD) and Public Administration (MPA).

The college integrates Eastern and Western educational philosophies, emphasizing international, innovative and interdisciplinary characteristics. With its mission of cultivating essential competencies such as lifelong learning, critical thinking, cross-cultural communication and global employment competitiveness, the HAITC has gradually developed into a highly internationalized Sino-foreign cooperative educational institution.

The college’s faculty is a testament to its global outlook, with 100 percent of its members graduating from renowned overseas universities and over 95 percent holding doctoral degrees. The teaching staff comes from nearly 20 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany.

Since its establishment, the HAITC has witnessed the graduation of three cohorts of undergraduates, achieving a dual-degree awarding rate of 97 percent, with nearly 70 percent of graduates pursuing further studies directly.

The certificate shows the HAITC is selected as an outstanding case of Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions. [Photo/WeChat account: Hainan University]

The Chinese-Foreign Joint Education Committee, established under the guidance of the MOE’s Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, serves as a national platform for exchange and collaboration in Sino-foreign cooperative education. It is composed on a voluntary basis of the leaders from Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions approved by the MOE.

The committee’s mission is to unite the strength of Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions, promote the high-quality development of such programs in higher education and enhance their role in advancing the modernization of China’s higher education system.