Rich Harrill, Ph.D., Research Professor and Director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Travel and Tourism Industry Center and International Tourism Research Institute

Dr. Harrill has focused extensively on international tourism and economic development. He collaborated with the U.S. Travel Association and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries on the definitive study of future Chinese outbound tourism to the U.S., potentially leading to additional tourism dollars for both China and the United States. In doing this research, he directly influenced both U.S. and China federal policies to enable cultural and research exchanges. He is currently working with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism on a study of the recent decline in Japanese tourists to the United States. He also has conducted additional research in the Dominican Republic on tourism development, and accepted a two-month appointment as a visiting professor at the University of Aruba.

In addition to driving economic development through tourism, Dr. Harrill has vastly increased the reputation of the University of South Carolina in China by building strong international ties that have led to research and exchange agreements with top Chinese universities, including Peking University, Nanjing University, Nankai University, Shandong University, and Sun Yat-Sen University, along with the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao, enriching the academic experience for students.

Dr. Harrill earned his Ph.D. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management and his master's degree in City and Regional Planning from Clemson University. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the College of Charleston. He has published his research in urban planning's top three journals: the Journal of American Planning Association, Journal of Planning Education and Research and Journal of Planning Literature.