RACHEL J.C. FU, PH.D., CHE
Chair, Professor
Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management
Director, Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute
Office: FLG 242
P.O. Box 118209
Gainesville, FL 32611-8209
Phone: (352) 294-1694
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Ph.D. North Carolina State University
M.S. North Carolina State University
B.A. National Cheng-Chi University, Taiwan
Dr. Rachel J.C. Fu has many years of experience in the tourism and hospitality business. Rachel is the Chair and Professor of the Department of Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management (THEM) at the University of Florida, where she is also the Director of the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute (EFTI).
Rachel was the founding Director (2010-2018) of the Center for Sustainable Business and Development (CSBD) that provided a mechanism for building an interdisciplinary research program that combines business and sustainability science at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (UTK), where she was also a Professor in Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management. Rachel was named as TnHTA Educator of the Year (Stars of the Industry Awards) for her excellence in research and development of workforce for the industry and was honored at the 2019 Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Hospitality and Tourism. She was the Chair elect/Chair/Past Chair (2017-2019) of UTK’s Undergraduate Council and was the Chair (2018-2020) of UTK Chancellor’s Commission for Women. She was also an active member and leader in the community. She was a member of the Board of Directors (2018-2020) for Visit Knoxville and a District Chair (2019 & 2020) of the Boy Scouts of America for the East Tennessee Council.
Rachel was promoted to full professor in 2012 and has served as the graduate program director for 5 years (2005-2010) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (UTK). She was appointed as a visiting professor at Yale University during 2009-2010.
In the past decade, through serving as guest editor, associate editor, editorial board member for 14 leading and well-respected international journals, reviewer (or 9 leading international journals, and chair/reviewer for 4 major international associations, Rachel has provided leadership in academic and professional organizations.
Rachel has published more than 200 papers, including refereed journal articles, refereed conference papers, a magazine article, newsletters, technical reports, and book chapters. Rachel's work has been featured in various media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, U.S. News and World Report, Carnival Cruise Line, NBC, BBC, Bottom Line Personal, CNBC, ABC News, the Philadelphia Inquirer, AARC, KCBS, Recommend Magazine, and UF News.
PRIMARY FIELDS OF INTEREST
- AI and Data Science in THEM, Business, and Transportation
- Economic Impact Assessments
- Forecasting Methods and Applications
- Hospitality and Tourism Analytics
- Strategic Management and Marketing in THEM and Business
- Sustainable Business and Community Development
- Impacts of Climate Change on Business and Communities
- Consumer/Visitor Behavior Studies
- Geographic Information Systems Applications
OTHER RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Strategic Management, Sustainability, and Marketing
- Strategic Management
- Sustainable Business and Development
- Marketing for Businesses
- Impacts of Climate Change on Business and Services
- Consumer Behavior Studies
- Geographic Information Systems Applications
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Analyses of Tourism, Recreation, and Sports
- Statistics and Economics
- Forecasting Methods and Applications
- AI and Data Science in THEM
- Hospitality and Tourism Analytics
- Economic Impact Assessments
- Input-Output Models and Applications
- Statistic for Behavior Sciences
COURSES
- Practicum (LEI 6944)
- Professional Paper (LEI 6905)
- Capstone
- Tourism and Hospitality Business Perspective