Fulbright enables tourism professor to share her expertise in Tajikistan

Katarina Benson — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 16:21:50 +0000

Fulbright enables tourism professor to share her expertise in Tajikistan Katarina Benson Tue, 11/25/2025 - 11:21

Sue Slocum, professor in the Tourism and Events Management Program at �鶹��Ƶ, received a Fulbright Specialist Program award in support of a project on how best to prepare students for jobs in Tajikistan’s tourism economy. She went for a month to advise and collaborate with faculty from the International University of Tourism and Entrepreneurship of Tajikistan.

As part of this initiative, titled “Enhancing the Level of Competence of University Faculties,” Slocum identified opportunities for enhanced research and partnerships to support increased tourism development in Tajikistan. She also provided training related to teaching pedagogies and outcomes, and educational technologies to support classroom learning.

Students were taught new tourism strategies. Photo provided

The Fulbright Specialist Program is part of the larger Fulbright Program established by the U.S. Department of State and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to pair highly qualified U.S. academics and professionals with host institutions abroad. Initiatives under this program were short-term projects, ranging in length from two to six weeks. �鶹��Ƶ 400 academic researchers and professionals participate annually in the program.

As a Fulbright Specialist award recipient, Slocum presented a series of lectures for both university faculty and students related to several types of tourism—most notably sustainable tourism, including integrated tourism models and visitor management strategies—and the specific needs and challenges of each. She taught for four hours a day, six days a week. She also presented at two conferences, teaching professionals about tourists’ use of technology for marketing purposes and how “to showcase development [and] accomplishments to the traveling public.”

Slocum took time to travel Tajikstan. Photo provided

“Most of my students were from small villages and had been exposed to tourism,” Slocum said. “The curriculum on sustainable development was very well received, and the students were excited to be able to apply some of what I taught to their home communities.”

She also gave a lecture to support faculties commitment to publishing
in SCOPUS academic journals, which the university was just beginning to explore.

“I also took four days to travel to Haft Kul [in the Pan Mountains] and Pajikent. Not only did it give me an opportunity to be a tourist in a country where I was teaching tourism, it also allowed me to spend time with villagers impacted by tourism. The sights were stunning, and the people were some of the friendliest I have ever met,” Slocum said.

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�鶹��Ƶ prepares its tourism, events management and hospitality students for new challenges

Colleen Rich — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 19:49:56 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ prepares its tourism, events management and hospitality students for new challenges Colleen Rich Tue, 08/24/2021 - 15:49

Prior to the pandemic, �鶹��Ƶ Tourism and Events Managment students were able to meet in person with industry professionals and do site visits. Photo provided

The tourism and hospitality industries have been confronting increasing challenges related to both the pandemic and climate change, according to experts from �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD).

The twin crises mean that graduates from �鶹��Ƶ’s School of Sport, Recreation and Tourism Management must be able to pivot from traditional business models and adapt to changes in the industries. �鶹��Ƶ’s job, professors say, is to ensure that its students are well-versed in new technology, able to understand market demands, and have an ability to quickly solve problems.

“There is tremendous need right now for our �鶹��Ƶ graduates because they can hit the ground running,” said Maggie Daniels, a professor in �鶹��Ƶ’s Tourism and Events Management program. “Our students know how to use what they’ve learned to adapt to the changing work environment.”

Kevin Dunayer, assistant professor of theater and event production with both CEHD and the College of Visual and Performing Arts, teaches �鶹��Ƶ students the logistics of virtual event planning.

“There will be a lot of companies that want to keep their events in the virtual realm or some of their events in the virtual realm, so our students will be prepared for that,” said Dunayer.

Erinn Sanders, a senior majoring in Tourism and Events Management, said that her education is preparing her for planning both in-person and virtual events.

“We learn how to create virtual events that are as much like in-person as possible,” Sanders said.

Min Park, academic program coordinator for �鶹��Ƶ’s Tourism and Events Management program, said that �鶹��Ƶ students are prepared to face today’s workplace challenges.

“One of the most important learning outcomes we have is that they will have critical thinking skills to help them prepare for the flood of new information they will face in the working world,” Park said.

Helen Bircher, a senior majoring in Tourism and Events Management said that her professors encouraged independent problem-solving, which will be helpful when facing the inevitable issues that come while planning events.

Associate Professor Sue Slocum said that one of the biggest challenges �鶹��Ƶ tourism graduates will face will be the devastating effects of climate change.

Slocum teaches a class on sustainable tourism in which students examine how they can help the tourism and hospitality industries better conserve resources and maintain local environments. In addition, students studied how tourist areas reinvent themselves when their environment is altered. For example, as Vermont faces less snow than before and a shorter ski season, Slocum said the state has become a mecca for mountain biking.

“�鶹��Ƶ is on the leading edge of research on sustainable solutions to the current environmental and pandemic problems facing tourism and hospitality, and our students are very aware that they will have to reexamine and rethink how to sustain tourism in the years to come,” said Slocum, who has been researching the effect of the pandemic on California wineries.

In addition, said Slocum, employees in the hospitality industry have started demanding higher pay and better working conditions.

“Our graduates in the hospitality industry will have to look at employees with social sustainability in mind,” said Slocum.

Tina Jones, fieldwork experience coordinator for the Tourism and Events Management program, said that �鶹��Ƶ graduates have learned through classes and internships risk management strategies that will serve them well in their employment.

Our students will be able to “think strategically about planning for safe operations, and they will be even more aware now than ever about the importance and the need to meet safety expectations for the consumers they serve,” said Jones.

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Fulbright enables tourism professor to share her expertise in Tajikistan

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