Season’s Aloha!

It’s been another memorable year for UH Hilo, and I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to our students, faculty, staff, and members of our community-at-large for their hard work and dedication to the university.

Together we share the excitement of transforming UH Hilo into a comprehensive university. Together we celebrate new colleges, new master and doctoral programs, expansive grant activity, and ambitious community projects. And together, we rise to meet fiscal challenges while preserving the university’s quality and excellence.

Hats off to you all! Well done!

Here’s a sampling of our noteworthy accomplishments in 2004:

A new integrated doctorate, master, and certificate program

The University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents approved the Doctorate in Hawaiian and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization and feeder programs at UH Hilo in concept. The integrated program includes the Ph.D., the Master of Arts in Indigenous Language and Culture Education, and the Certificate in Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization.

This new program addresses the last remaining milestone for UH Hilo’s Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikolani College of Hawaiian Language: the offering of a doctorate degree, the first offered at UH Hilo.

It also builds upon the existing programs of the college, which include a Bachelor of Arts in Hawaiian Studies, a Master of Arts in Hawaiian Language and Literature, the Kahuawaiola Teacher Education Program, and the preschool through grade 12 Hawaiian language medium laboratory school program.

These programs are the leading programs in indigenous language and culture revitalization in the United States. I speak on behalf of the entire university ‘ohana when I say that we are all very proud of this groundbreaking college for its contributions to Hawaiian language revitalization, and for its reaching out to help many other indigenous peoples throughout the world to do the same with their own languages.

Congratulations to Kalena Silva, director of the college, and Pila Wilson, professor of Hawaiian studies, and all the faculty and staff of the college for their dedication and hard work in bringing these long-planned initiatives to this point.

New colleges

The newly-formed UH Hilo College of Business and Economics just received official accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB), the international accreditation association. Congratulations to Marcia Sakai, director of the college, and the faculty and staff. It took lots of hard work and I applaud your dedication to the long-term planning that brought you to this stage of your college’s development. Thanks to all.

The BOR approved the establishment of a College of Pharmacy at UH Hilo, in concept, and also authorized the recruitment of a dean for the college. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy has estimated a nationwide shortage of 157,000 pharmacists by 2020 if more pharmacy education programs are not created. This shortage has made it extremely difficult for Hawai‘i students to gain admission to state pharmacy colleges on the mainland. The proposed UH Hilo College of Pharmacy will help this national need as well as Hawai‘i’s particular need for pharmacists in rural communities.

The pharmacy program will expand educational opportunities for local students wanting careers that will benefit our island communities. And with this program, they can accomplish their educational goals without leaving home. Congratulations to Jerry Johnson, retired UHH professor of psychology who spearheaded this project, and to all the countless others who dedicated their time to its development.

Grants and research

UH Hilo grant activity currently exceeds $14 million in funded projects. Projects include $4 million in the combined grant activity of Maria Haws and Kevin Hopkins of the Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center, and $1 million secured by Keiki Kawai‘ae‘a of Hale Kuamo‘o Center for Hawaiian Language and Culture Through the Medium of Hawaiian.

Many of our faculty received grants this past year over $100,000, including Margaret Haig, dean of the College of Continuing Education and Community Service; Dan Brown, professor of anthropology and head of the Minority Biomedical Research Support program; Vladimir Skorikov, associate professor of biology; and Dawna Coutant, assistant professor of psychology; among many others.

Most recently funded is a project to renovate UH Hilo laboratories, purchase equipment and supplies, and hire research personnel. This $4 million grant to upgrade our research infrastructure over the next five years is awarded by the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

This NIH grant will provide funds to create a core lab for bioinformatics and biostatistics; build capacity to carry out biomedical research; and support two specific research subprojects, both related to diabetes risk in Hawai‘i ethnic groups. I am involved in this NIH-funded project as principle investigator, and I am very excited about its scope, which will also include monies to develop a cooperative relationship with the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State University. Congratulations to the group of investigators heading up this project: Daniel Brown, Vladimir Skorikov, Thomas Pinhey, Donald Price, Lincoln Gotshalk, Cedric Muir, and Michael Dohm.

A long-term project aimed at giving a boost to the economic health of the entire state is the federally-funded Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), a statewide program initiated by UH Hilo in 2001. The $9 million/three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant targets the upgrading of the state’s science and technology research infrastructure.

As for EPSCoR’s impact at UH Hilo, the program has been a critical source of funding for our research infrastructure. Within the past year, lab facilities in the areas of genetics and environmental sciences and geographic remote sensing have been established and are being used by students, faculty, and government agencies. Kudos to Donald Price, co-project director, and Terrilani Chong, project administrator. As EPSCoR statewide committee chair, I am very proud of this project and my colleagues for a job well done. I have gone to meet with people at NSF to discuss the second research infrastructure grant, and many faculty are involved in those efforts as well. Thanks to all involved.

An EPSCoR-supported umbrella group called the Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES) is coordinating internship opportunities for undergraduates interested in studies and careers related to Hawai‘i’s natural resources. Participating in this integrated effort is the UH Hawaiian Internship Program (UH-HIP), the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, and the Keaholoa STEM program (see next).

Together, the UH-HIP, REU, and Keaholoa STEM program coordinate under the PIPES umbrella to give students the chance to gain experience and mentorship in natural resource and other environmental fields. Many thanks to Sharon Ziegler-Chong, EPSCoR’s education and human resource coordinator, for overseeing this program.

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program is well underway this year. This program is run by Sonia Juvik, professor of geography, in collaboration with David Sing, director of Na Pua No‘eau, UH Hilo’s Center for Gifted and Talented Native Hawaiian Students.

The Keaholoa STEM Program is successfully meeting its goal of increasing the number of students of Native Hawaiian and other minority ancestry enrolling in science, math, and tech courses. The program is also increasing the number of majors in related fields. The National Science Foundation funds this five-year, $2.5 million project. Thanks to the many faculty involved.

While it is true that some fields receive more attention and funding than others do by government and business agencies, I applaud all the efforts of our faculty and staff to expand our programs and resources by increasing outside revenues. I would also like to thank David Lovell and his staff at Research Corporation of University of Hawai‘i (RCUH), for their administrative support of UH Hilo’s research initiatives.

Community outreach

The construction of the Mauna Kea Astronomy Education Center (MKAEC) is well underway. Located at the UH Hilo University Park of Science and Technology, the dedication and blessing of this ambitious project was celebrated in early summer. Now, six months later, the foundation of the center is laid, walls are rising, domes and peaks are taking shape, and it’s starting to look like the beautiful facility it will be.

The $28 million federally-funded MKAEC will bridge science and Hawaiian culture through exhibits and programs, including a planetarium. It will be an exciting place of discovery for students and teachers, youngsters and adults, locals and tourists alike. We look forward to the center opening in late 2005.

We recently celebrated the opening of the Hawai‘i Innovation Center at Hilo, located in the renovated former Bank of Hawai‘i building on Keawe Street. UH Hilo owns the center and will develop it as a general purpose business incubator. High Technology Development Corporation, a state-funded agency that provides business incubation services statewide, will manage the project until the university’s newly established College of Business and Economics is ready to run the program.

This incubator initiative is an important expansion of UH Hilo’s role as an economic engine for the island and state of Hawai‘i, and the university welcomes another opportunity to provide educational resources to promote more business growth and development for the region.

Development of educational resources is also underway at the North Hawai‘i Research and Education Center, located at the former Honoka‘a Hospital on the Hamakua Coast. The blessing to celebrate the renovation project was held in August. The center provides higher education opportunities to the people of the North Hawai‘i region—an area hard hit by the demise of the sugar industry—by focusing on the challenges of the changing economy.

We just celebrated the groundbreaking of the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center in Keaukaha. The center is scheduled to open in late 2005. Research and technology activities will support university marine and aquaculture programs, as well as local and Pacific region commercial enterprises. The center has the potential to become one of the finest aquaculture facilities of its kind in the world, and will enhance UH Hilo’s international reputation as a research and education leader in the fields of marine science, aquaculture, and coastal resources.

Accreditation

I am very pleased to report that UH Hilo’s accreditation status was reaffirmed through the year 2014 by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the national organization that oversees our accreditation. I received a letter from the executive director of WASC stating that the 10-year extension, the longest accreditation period granted by the commission, was at the recommendation of the WASC review teams that visited our campus in March 2003 and March 2004.

The letter stated that “the team commended the university for its bold vision of service to the Hawaiian community and for its progress in transforming its mission to transform itself from a liberal arts college to a comprehensive university that serves the workforce needs of Hawai‘i. The team found that the university has taken previous commission concerns and recommendations seriously and has achieved substantial progress in a number of areas during both reviews.”

Thank you to everyone who participated in this long, arduous process, you are to be congratulated! The letter, final team report, and related documents are available online at uhh.hawaii.edu/uhh/vcaa/.

Capital Improvement Projects

The renovations to “Redwood City” are complete. The buildings are now home to Hale Kuamo‘o Center for Hawaiian Language and Culture; Kipuka, the Native Hawaiian student support organization; EPSCoR; the Student Housing Office; and (temporarily) the UHH Business Office. A $1 million Title III Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions grant, along with state funds, paid for the project.

In the spring, the State Legislature approved several CIP for our campus, the centerpiece being $15 million for the first construction phase of a Student Life and Events Center complex. Other capital improvement projects currently underway include the planning and design phases of a new science and technology building on campus, as well as improvements to the student services building.

Development

The Chinese Civic Association and the greater Hilo community raised funds to support the new China-US Relations master’s program. Proceeds from the association’s “Taste of Asia” event funded three $1,000 scholarships and $1,500 for library reference materials to support the program. UH Hilo’s China-US Relations program focuses on the cross-cultural study of China and its relation to the US role in Pacific affairs. A big mahalo to all the volunteers who participated in this generous undertaking.

Other examples of community-based donations include Paul DeSilva presenting $500 from the Big Island National Guard Retirees Association Scholarships Fund; Alexander & Baldwin Foundation awarding UH Hilo with a $5,000 grant to support marketing and recruitment efforts; Hiroshi Kajori, director of Subaru Telescope, presenting a check for over $9,000 to support the creation of an exhibit at the Mauna Kea Astronomy Education Center; and Shizue Akiyama, wife of the late Mitsuo “Mits” Akiyama who was a pioneer in the development of the Mauna Kea observatories, donating $10,000 to MKAEC.

This support helps us develop the university and its initiatives during lean times. A sincere thank you to all donors, I’m sorry limited space does not let me name each of you.

And I’d like to take a moment to once again recognize the extraordinary generosity of Alec and Kay Keith of Hilo, who presented $2.4 million to UH Hilo to establish an endowed scholarship fund for graduates of Hawai‘i and Pacific island high schools. It is the largest private donation by an individual ever made to any institution in the UH 10-campus system. I thank the Keiths for their steadfast support of the university. Their generosity and vision are an inspiration to all of us.

Happy New Year!

I wish you and yours peace and happiness throughout the coming year. Thank you again to the community-at-large for your support of UH Hilo. Your faithful commitment to our university moves us all forward together. A special thank you to university faculty for all your daily teaching, research, and community service. I feel blessed to be here at UH Hilo with the best students, faculty, and staff imaginable.

We could not have achieved our milestones this year without the support of everyone working together. Each of you played an important role in our accomplishments. Your hard work and dedication are the inspiration and driving force that enables UH Hilo to excel. You have my heartfelt appreciation for a job well done.

Our beautiful island, quality lifestyle, and spirit of aloha create opportunities, and through working together, there is no limit to what we can achieve!

Aloha,

Rose Tseng