May marks the end of the academic year and is a special time to show appreciation to the university ‘ohana for the many achievements of 2003-2004. Exemplary professors, staff members, students, and many from the local community were recently honored at the End-of-the-Year Celebration and Recognition Ceremony. I would like to share with you the names of the individuals and groups that were recognized for their commendable contributions to UH Hilo.

UH Hilo awards

Our tradition is to recognize outstanding individuals at this time of the year through several different achievement awards, some of which rotate in alternate years. This year we honor four individuals for their extraordinary service in the following areas.

Read the rest of this entry »

Summer of 2003

• Outside magazine, with a readership of outdoor adventurers, took a look at hundreds of colleges across America, and ranked UH Hilo 19 out of 40 schools that turn out “smart grads with top-notch academic credentials, a healthy environmental ethos, and an A+ sense of adventure.”
• U.S. News and World Report ranks UH Hilo sixth among national liberal arts colleges in campus diversity in its 2004 edition of America’s Best Colleges. The university also tied for fourth in percentage of international students with 12 percent of the school’s undergraduates.

September 2003

• Fall 2003 enrollment is at an all-time high of 3,340 students, an 8.8 percent increase over last fall, the largest percentage gain in the entire 10-campus University of Hawai‘i system.
• UH Hilo enters into a master cooperative agreement with the US Geological Survey’s Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center to jointly develop research, monitoring, and educational partnerships with the university and its students.

Read the rest of this entry »