Kung, Hsiang-te
Hsiang-te Kung
Dr. Hsiang-te Kung is a professor of Geography and Planning at the University of Memphis and Director of the Asian Studies and International Trade Program. He researches water resources, urban hydrology land-surface systems, soil erosion, landform and terrain analysis, aerial photo interpretation, and Asia-China. Dr. Kung is also an expert in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He teaches weather and climate, urbanization and environment, water resources, and thematic studies of China. He has authored over 106 journal articles, obtained more than 80 research grants, and contributed significantly to publications on international river management and climate change.
“Be diligent and work hard, and you can achieve your goal of making a better environment and more prosperous society.” - Hsiang-te Kung, 2016
Kung, Hsiang-te. 1984. Drainage Density and Rock Solubility in Karst Areas, East Tennessee. GEO 2; National Speleological Society, Section of Cave Geology and Geography, 2(3) 39-42.
Kung, Hsiang-te. 1985 Review of Environmental Karst by Percy H. Daugherty. The Professional Geographer, 37(1), 114.
Kung, Hsiang-te. 1985. Critical Erosion Areas in Knoxville and Knox County. Journal of Tennessee Academy of Sciences, 60(4), 105-109.
Ying, Long-gen, Hsiang-te Kung, Wei-shen Gao, and Hsiu-bao Chang. 1989. Regional Development and Environmental Strategies. Science and Technology Press, Hsin-Hwa Book Co., Beijing. ISBN 7-5023-0832-6. J. A.A.
Jones, C.M. Liu, M.K. Woo, and H.T. Kung. 1996. Regional Hydrological Response to Climate Change and Global Warming. Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands. ISBN 0-7923-4329-8.
Dr. Hsiang-te Kung was born in mainland China and raised in Taiwan. He has always been interested in geography, the discipline he now devotes to his career. “Geography is the study of human environments,” he explains, “and my major interest is the interactions of humans and their environments” (2016).
Dr. Kung began his academic journey at the University of Chinese Culture in Taiwan, where he graduated first in his class with a Bachelor of Arts in Earth Sciences in 1994. He then moved to the United States for his graduate education, earning his Master of Science in Geography and Geology from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1972 and his doctorate in the same subject in 1980. He is especially interested in how humans influence their environment through urbanization and how that environment affects human actions.
Although he has lived in the United States for over 30 years, Dr. Kung remains deeply connected to his Chinese heritage and values and applies them thoroughly to his work. “Chinese tradition and heritage give me pride,” he explains. “It gives me the esteem to work hard to be a good person and citizen and to help improve society” (2016). Perhaps not surprisingly for someone whose family traces their lineage back 75 generations to Confucius, Dr. Kung enjoys being an academic who combines intellectual research with educating others.
Dr. Kung held several positions at the University of Tennessee while working on his graduate degrees. From 1971 to 1973, he was a map librarian and, from 1973 to 1975, a geography instructor. From 1974 to 1981, Dr. Kung was a Senior Environmental Planner in Knoxville, where he did environmental assessments and impact studies on development, studied water pollution sources related to land use planning, and developed a comprehensive energy plan to help the community choose suitable development sites and limit the impact of groundwater pollution. This work reflected his research interests as a professor, especially in urban water resources, the urban physical environment, and land-surface systems.
In 1981, Dr. Kung became an Assistant Professor of Geography at Memphis State University, and in 1983, he became an Assistant Professor of Geography and Planning. In 1986, Dr. Kung was a Visiting Lecturer of Geography at East China Normal University. In 1987, he was promoted to Associate Professor and was named full professor and chair of the Geography and Planning Department in 1991. In 1989, Dr. Kung co-edited Regional Development and Environmental Strategies. His contributions span diverse fields.
He was named an Honorary Professor of Geography at Huazhong Normal University in 1991 and was again a visiting professor at East China Normal University in 1991. In 1991, he also taught at Chongqing Normal, Sichuan Normal, Guizhou Normal, and Yunnan Institute of Geography.
In 1994, Memphis State became the University of Memphis. In 1996, he co-edited Regional Hydrological Response to Climate Change. In 1999, he served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Semester at Sea Program. In 2000, he was nominated for the Eminent Faculty Award. Recognized for his outstanding contributions to teaching, Dr. Kung has received four nominations for the Distinguished Teaching Service Award. In 2001, Dr. Kung’s tenure as department chair ended, and he co-edited Towards Cooperative Utilization and Coordinated Management of International Rivers. In 2004, Dr. Kung was a Visiting Fellow at the Chinese Academy of Sciences China.
His contributions have earned him accolades, including the Superior Performance in University Research in 1993 and 1994. Notably, he was honored with the College of Arts and Sciences Meritorious Faculty Award in 2005 and the Award for Advising Excellence in 2006.
In addition to his prolific publications, Dr. Kung continued to teach abroad. In 2005, he was a Visiting professor of Geography at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Visting Professor of Environmental Sciences at China Three Gorges University. In 2007, he was named Director of Asian Studies and International Trade and Director of the Confucius Institute. In 2008, Dr. Kung wrote Chinese Listening and Speaking Workbook 1.
Dr. Kung has thoroughly enjoyed his career. Though he cites gaining tenure, becoming department chair, and increasing the number of geography majors as career highlights, the biggest highlight has been witnessing his students learn and succeed. “I enjoy what I’m doing now, being a good professor and mentor to the students,” Dr. Kung says (2016). “I enjoy helping them get established and get work as scientists and teachers. Some of them have done better than me!” For Dr. Kung, maintaining a view of education as a lifelong endeavor is important, and he tries to impart that education is “like the Chinese proverb—‘you can grow a tree in ten years, but to educate someone takes a hundred years’” (2016).
Dr. Kung’s tenure as Director of the Confucius Institute ended in 2020, but he continues to direct the Asian Studies and International Trade program. In 2008, Dr. Kung received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University Honors Program. Dr. Kung is a prominent academic who has written over 106 journal articles and secured over 80 research grants.
He has remained in the field because “I enjoy geography—I like to see what I can do to help the environment and help people understand the environmental process” (2016).
After seven years of working as a planner and earning his doctorate, one of Dr. Kung’s primary mentors, the well-known geographer Dr. Edwin Hammond, encouraged him to apply for a faculty position at the University of Memphis. Dr. Kung began teaching in 1981 and has had a robust career at the university.
Dr. Kung has advised several international graduate students. He is a member of the university’s Standing Committee on Human Relations and an advisor for the International Study and Business Program. He is also the President of the Chinese Association of Memphis.
For minorities thinking of careers in the field, he suggests that interest and passion for the subject are the keys to success: “You have to be interested in people and their surroundings. If you are interested, you can find a number of different ways to do what you can, from teaching to working in Green Industry. Be diligent and work hard, and you can achieve your goal of making a better environment and a more prosperous society” (2016).
Interview conducted by Multicultural Environmental Leadership Development Initiative staff. 2016. University of Michigan – School of Natural Resources and Environment. Ann Arbor, MI.
The University of Memphis. 2023. Dr. Hsiang-te Kung. https://www.memphis.edu/earthsciences/faculty_people/hsiang-te-kung.php