Dr. Wen-Hao Chou's Chinese name is pronounced “When-How-Ciao,” which inspires both his teaching philosophy and research agenda. In Italian, “Ciao” can mean both “hello” and “goodbye,” depending on the context. For Dr. Chou, it represents helping students recognize when opportunities emerge, learn how to develop the skills needed to succeed in an AI-driven world, and ultimately say goodbye to uncertainty and hello to new opportunities throughout their professional careers.
Originally from Taiwan, Dr. Chou combines more than a decade of experience in advertising, marketing, sponsorship, media, and event management with a passion for teaching and student success. His educational philosophy centers on helping students develop three essential competencies for today's sport industry: communication skills, creativity, and AI literacy.
At the University of Kansas, Dr. Chou teaches HSES 485 Sport Communication, HSES 491 Foundations of Name, Image, and Likeness, HSES 492 Athlete and Personal Branding, HSES 488 Pre Internship Seminar, and HSES 499 Internship in Sport Management. Across all of his courses, Dr. Chou emphasizes the importance of knowing when opportunities emerge, how to communicate effectively, build authentic brands, and make sound decisions in rapidly changing sport business environments. Students learn how to use artificial intelligence as a powerful tool while relying on human creativity, judgment, and communication skills as their long-term competitive advantage.
As undergraduate internship program director, Dr. Chou helps students bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace. By integrating his teaching, research, industry experience, and professional network, he assists students in securing meaningful internships, building professional connections, and preparing for careers in sport communication, marketing, branding, media, athletics, and athlete representation.
Dr. Chou's research examines how communication, branding, sponsorship, and consumer behavior influence success in sport. His work explores why sponsorships resonate with fans, how athlete brands create value, and how communication strategies shape public perception and consumer engagement. These insights directly inform his teaching and help students apply research-based knowledge to real world sport business challenges. His scholarship has been published in academic journals and book chapters and presented at national and international conferences.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Chou is the author of books on sports leadership and NBA superstar Stephen Curry, associate writer of the award-winning documentary “Late Life: The Chien Ming Wang Story,” translator of leadership books by legendary coaches John Wooden and Phil Jackson, and a former sport columnist for one of Taiwan's largest newspapers. These experiences allow him to bring real world perspectives from media, branding, leadership, and professional sports directly into the learning experience.
For Dr. Chou’s students, success begins with one simple question: When opportunity comes, will you know how to use your communication skills, creativity and AI literacy to say “Ciao” to uncertainty and hello to new possibilities?