An expert with wide-ranging hospitality, international teaching and entrepreneurial experience, Wen Chang, Ph.D., has joined the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management and Tourism as an assistant professor.
Chang, who earned her graduate and doctoral degrees in the U.S. and taught here before going back to her native China, has returned to the U.S. to share her knowledge and experience with students and colleagues in the department.
Her expertise ranges from human resources, financial, revenue and leadership management in the tourism industry to hospitality management, operations and law. Her industry experience spans food and beverage management, as well as spa and recreation management.
“Dr. Chang brings a wealth of personal experience and expertise related to the hospitality industry, as well as an international background as an instructor,” said Brian King, Ph.D., head of the Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management and Tourism. “Our department and students are benefiting from her knowledge of issues relating to organizational behaviors within the hospitality industry, focusing primarily on employee motivations, leadership and technology-mediated service quality enhancements.”
King added that Chang’s contributions to academia and industry reflect her dedication to advancing knowledge and improving the hospitality sector.
“I feel my international teaching experience and familiarity with both the Chinese and U.S. hospitality industries will bring a new perspective to the department and my students,” Chang said. “And having owned and operated my own business, I also bring an entrepreneurial perspective to my teaching.”
Education and teaching experience
Chang earned a bachelor’s degree in tourism and hotel management from the School of Tourism and Hotel Management at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics in Dalian, China. She came to the U.S. in 2009 to continue her studies, earning a master’s degree in hotel and restaurant management from the Conrad Hilton School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. After that, she earned her doctorate in hotel administration from the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Chang’s extensive experience includes time as the associate dean at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and as an associate professor and director of international programs at the Dongbei University of Finance and Economics.
Chang also spent time as an assistant professor at Iowa State University’s College of Human Science Department of Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management, and as a visiting lecturer and teaching assistant at the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for five years.
“In my teaching, I strive to give my students the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in the hospitality industry,” Chang said. “I want them to know the way things really are, why they matter and why they should be done a certain way. My main goal with my students is to prepare them for a career in the industry.”
Chang chaired master’s committees and served on several doctoral committees at Iowa State University and Dongbei University of Finance and Economics. She was also an external Doctor of Hotel and Tourism Management committee member at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Publications, presentations and achievements
Chang’s work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed publications, and she has served as an editorial board member for the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management and the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights.
Chang has made conference presentations on a wide variety of topics, including employee performance, leadership influence, service robots, wine consumer behaviors, anger in hospitality, employee engagement, tourism career motivators and barriers, career satisfaction, formal mentoring, social media use and more.
She has also successfully secured research grants from the National Science Foundation of China and the Liaoning Provincial Development and Reform Commission, as well as teaching grants from the Educational Department of Liaoning Province.
Chang also received internal grants and scholarships from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the University of Houston; the Dongbei University of Finance and Economics; and the Tianjin University of Finance and Economics.
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