Concluding Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Central Florida
On Thursday, April 16, the Professor of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida (UCF), Dr. Tadayuki Hara paid a courtesy call on the President of Yamaguchi University, Dr. Masaaki Oka. Dr. Hara is on a sabbatical leave, currently visiting Yamaguchi University’s Faculty of Global and Science Studies. This meeting saw the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two universities. Also present at the assembly were Executive Trustee, Dr. Kazutoshi Koga, Dean of the Faculty of Global and Science Studies, Dr. Masahiro Itonaga and some key members of faculty’s administrative staff. The participants discussed their perspectives on future academic exchanges between the universities, and on Dr. Hara’s research field.
UCF is a state university located in Orlando, Florida. As of 2014, it is the largest university in the United States by undergraduate enrollment, and the second-largest by total enrollment. Subsequently, UCF is considered one of the country’s fastest-growing universities. Yamaguchi University’s academic exchange with UCF has evolved as a result of the MOU concluded by the Faculty of Economics in 2009, and so far our two universities have cooperatively held symposiums, published an international journal, and exchanged students.
The Rosen College of Hospitality Management, where Dr. Hara is affiliated, is situated in an area of great significance to the tourism industry, close to a number of facilities such as Walt Disney World Resort; the college itself features many regional integrated programs. Dr. Hara has pursued cutting-edge research there, attempting to study tourism and business administration from a basis of science.
Conclusion of the MOU was not the only purpose of Dr. Hara’s visit to Yamaguchi University. He will also be conducting a special series of lectures in the Faculty of Global and Science Studies over the course of a few months. These lectures will be taught in English, offering students the chance to learn Tourism Studies as it is taught in the United States. Since all of the faculty’s students are scheduled to be sent overseas as exchange students in the coming year, Dr. Hara’s lectures present a valuable opportunity to obtain the necessary skills for study abroad without leaving Japan. Moreover, given his background in cutting-edge tourism research, we expect that Dr. Hara will offer suggestions on Japanese tourism policy and tourism education, and will share the results of his research. We hope that his activities will enhance regional contribution and globalization of our university.
Yamaguchi University will continue to take advantage of its established relationship with UCF, while also encouraging further academic exchange based on the recently-concluded MOU.
- Dr. Hara worked for Industrial Bank of Japan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before switching to academics.
- A PhD in Hotel Administration was awarded by Cornell University, the United States. Master’s degrees in Hotel Administration, Business Administration, and Regional Science were awarded by universities in the United Kingdom and the United States.
- He was a lecturer at the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne and a visiting professor at the School of International Liberal Studies and the Faculty of Commerce, Waseda University.
