Nicholas Olivera /Staff Writer
The Shanghai Municipal Education Commission has awarded the title of Overseas Master to a University professor.
Jinlin Zhao, professor of hospitality at the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, was titled Overseas Master, an honor that Shanghai extends to educators from around the world.
The award is in place so that individuals could travel to Shanghai and share their knowledge with students, according to the school’s website.
Zhao’s recognition marks the first time that SMEC acknowledges the efforts of a professional in the field of hospitality and tourism. Although he has spent a number of years as an educator, Zhao believes that a professional’s knowledge must go beyond that of simply teaching.
“For this profession, one should have experience in the industry as well as doing research and teaching,” said Zhao.
Having served as an educator at the University for the last 16 years, Zhao’s colleagues are not surprised by the honor.
“I have traveled with him to China and have found that he’s very well-regarded in the educational community,” said Mohammad Qureshi, associate dean at the School. “It continues to add to what our school is and to have a faculty member such as him is a great, big deal.”
Over the years, he has worked at a number of locations to acquire as much knowledge as he could about the service industry, said Qureshi.
He has held down jobs at both a school cafeteria and a privately-owned Italian pizzeria, but it was his work on three different Olympic committees that solidified Zhao as a knowledgable figure in the world of hospitality.
“For the Beijing Olympics I worked for eight full months,” he said. “I spent a lot of time training the catering crews to prepare for this grand event.”
In addition to his teaching duties at the University, as well as handling the preparations for the Olympic ceremonies, Zhao served as a research associate for the International Hotel and Restaurant Association for more than ten years.
Based out of Switzerland, the IHRA gave Zhao the opportunity to travel the world with the purpose of gathering research on both the customs of a country as well as the influence of industry.
Hospitality students at the school think that he is someone to look up to and they hope to achieve similar things when they graduate.
“First off, the fact that a professor at my own school was the first to get the honor in this field is an awing thing,” said Elizabeth Linx, a sophomore hospitality major. “It just goes to show how, even though FIU isn’t an ivy league school, we are one of the best.”
Steven Jackson, a freshman hospitality major, agrees with Linx, but he said he doesn’t know how he can top Zhao’s accomplishments.
“I mean he worked in the Olympics and has talked to so many professionals in these fields,” said Jackson. “It’s hard to think that I could do anything bigger than that, but I’m sure gonna try.”
Zhao traveled to countries like Spain and Israel and accumulated knowledge of the hospitality industry by interviewing some of its top figures.
In 1993, he spoke with the CEO of Holiday Inn in his first conference. Zhao said he asked the CEO for wisdom on the industry that would be of use to the world.
“I have a lot of experience due to my interactions with the top leaders in this industry,” Zhao said. “These interactions have enhanced my understanding of the hospitality trade. I was able to use the knowledge picked up from my travels, and I just want to share it.”
Additional reporting by Nicole Montero
news@fiusm.com
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