Summer Greetings!

I hope everyone’s summer is going well and that you are taking time to have some fun! I thought I’d share some of the exciting UH Hilo summer happenings with you.

New academic programs

The long-awaited master of arts degree in counseling psychology was approved by the UH Board of Regents. The new program will begin in the fall of 2003 and allow local residents to pursue their master’s degree without leaving family, job, and other commitments.

A bachelor of arts degree in health and physical education was also approved and will begin in the fall of this year. The major will prepare students for recreation-related careers and for entry into post-baccalaureate teacher education programs.

EPSCoR update

The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is an NSF-funded program, which we initiated at UH Hilo. This year, we are working with Professor Ed Laws, UH M?noa interim vice chancellor for research and graduate studies, and others, to plan a $9 million infrastructure grant for the state of Hawai‘i.

The statewide committee met in June to review the Research Infrastructure proposal, which is nearly ready to submit. I recently met with EPSCoR personnel in Washington, D.C., and they told me they are looking forward to our proposal submittal. We are very hopeful of our chances this year! Thank you to EPSCoR Project Director Don Price and Coordinator Terrilani Chong for all their hard work on this project.

Service-Learning Conference

UH Hilo will be hosting a Service-Learning Conference this week, where faculty and community organizations will meet and network. The goal is for students to assist community groups with their mission, while gaining hands-on experience to enhance their classroom learning. This coming year, the university will focus on developing stronger ties with agencies dedicated to youth, elders, the environment, and public health.

Involvement in service-learning, civic engagement, and volunteerism is important in the economic, social and cultural development of our community. I wholeheartedly support service-learning and I encourage everyone to get involved! By working together, we can truly make a difference in the lives of all who call East Hawai‘i home.

International conferences at UH Hilo

An international group of seaweed experts arrived on our campus in June to discuss the economic viability of Pacific seaweeds. The conference was based in our beautiful new Marine Science Building, and included research, training, seaweed collecting trips and identification. Our marine science professors say this important event puts Hilo “on the map” for seaweed research.

We also hosted the “Chemistry for the Protection of the Environment” conference. The UH Hilo Conference Center coordinated this gathering of scientists, policy makers and researchers dedicated to the advancement of environmental science. The group has conducted international gatherings for 25 years, and this was the first held in the United States.

I am excited about our hosting and participating in international conferences, and I’m proud of our students and faculty who are involved in these efforts and committed to supporting scientific conferences. UH Hilo’s growing strength in research activity makes Hilo the perfect site for scientific meetings.

UH Hilo Strategic Plan update

I’m very pleased with the progress of our new strategic plan (the draft is available for review at http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/~vcaa/, scroll to UH Hilo Draft Strategic Plan-April 23, 2002, and UH Hilo Draft Strategic Initiatives-May 31, 2002–[EDITORS NOTE: LINK IS NO LONGER ACTIVE]). The documents will be on the Web all summer and you may send comments to Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Chris Lu at chrislu@hawaii.edu. When faculty return for the fall semester, the Faculty Congress will review the plan for approval.

I wish to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of everyone who contributed to the plan-faculty, staff, students, and administration. I am enthusiastic about the future of our University, and I am confident that this plan will guide our growth in the most beneficial direction for our community, state, and region.

Jiangsu education leaders visit

This summer we were visited by the director-general of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education (JPDE) to discuss the expansion of our joint education program. Jiangsu Province is located in East China with a population of 65 million, with over 100 institutions of higher learning. Also visiting us were the president of Jiangsu University of Finance and Economics, the president of Jiangsu Institute of Educational Research, and other education administrators.

Our talks focused on faculty and student exchange, distance learning, community education programs and more. I am excited about the potential of our collaborative efforts and look forward to strengthening our mutually beneficial links in education.

Talks with Tokyo Gakugei University

Officials from Tokyo Gakugei University visited this summer to discuss an exchange agreement with UH Hilo. We look forward to welcoming students from Tokyo Gakugei University and further cultivating bonds of friendship and educational exchange.

Taiwan Council of Agriculture visit

Mayor Harry Kim and I hosted a visit of Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture (COA). Visiting were Cheng-Chung Fan, chair of COA, who was traveling with other senior Taiwan government leaders. The group was visiting the state to renew an agreement of cooperation between the Hawai‘i State Department of Agriculture and the Taiwan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Forestry for crop protection.

Here on the Big Island, delegates met with Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (PBARC) officials and agriculture and energy business people. Mayor Kim and I are doing all we can to promote agricultural research collaboration between Taiwan and Hawai‘i. With PBARC coming soon to UH Hilo’s University Park of Science and Technology, Hilo will soon be the hub of agricultural research for the entire Pacific Basin.

Hawai‘i Sister Summit 2002

The Big Island was honored this past week with a visit from dignitaries who participated in Hawai‘i’s Sister Summit 2002. The summit was held in Honolulu with business leaders from around the world, and focused on commercial opportunities between international business and Hawai‘i companies, especially in the areas of technology, tourism, resort development, energy, the environment, agriculture and aquaculture. Following the summit, delegates visited the neighbor islands.

Visiting UH Hilo were Governor of Taiwan K. C. Fan and Mrs. Fan; Dr. Fu-hsin Chang, the magistrate of Hualien County, Taiwan; Mayor Masano Inoue from Hawai Cho, Japan; and delegates from Okcheun, Korea. The visitors also toured Hale Pohaku on Mauna Kea and Subaru Telescope National Astronomical Observatory of Japan base facilities at UH Hilo’s University Park of Science and Technology.

I was greatly impressed with the enthusiasm and collaborative spirit of our guests, and I know that many seeds were planted for future endeavors. Hawai‘i has 71 “sister cities” in various parts of the world, and a collaborative business network is a key ingredient to Hawai‘i’s economic development.

Also part of the Sister City delegation was Dr. Samuel Chang, president of Ming-hsin Institute of Technology in Taiwan. Dr. Chang was a visiting professor of international management at UHH last year, and is a member of the investors group of our China-U.S. Center. While visiting this month, he met with officials to discuss the next phase of the center.

Women President’s Summit

For the fourth time in its history, the American Council on Education held a Women President’s Summit for women college and university presidents and chancellors. It was an honor to be part of the summit, held in Washington, D.C. Our discussions focused on ways to use knowledge and creativity to bring new leadership perspectives to the campus.

WASC conference

I’m currently serving a three-year term representing the Pacific Basin on the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities. We recently met in California to discuss the finances and operations of the commission, and took action on 20 institutions that had evaluation visits in the spring of 2002. I enjoy contributing to this important work, and gain much insight of benefit to our own university and its upcoming WASC review in 2003 and examination on educational effectiveness in 2004.

Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Hawai‘i talk

It’s always a pleasure to speak to the Japanese Chamber. I gave a talk to about 130 members and guests, including Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono, at the chamber’s recent officer installation banquet, sharing UH Hilo’s achievements of the past year. The chamber has played an important part in the development of our University, and their faithful commitment helps us move forward together, in partnership, economically, socially, and culturally. I sincerely want to thank them for their support of UH Hilo.

Convocation and Welcome Lu‘au

I’m looking forward to opening the academic year. Our Fall 2002 Convocation and Welcome Lu‘au will be on Monday, August 19. It will be a pleasure to welcome everyone back to campus, and I look forward to meeting our new faculty, students, and their families. Thank you to faculty, students, and the staff of Student Affairs and the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management for hosting the lu‘au at the University Farm. For more information, please contact my office (974-7444). Hope to see you there. It will be a good time for all!

Aloha,

Rose Tseng