Aloha and welcome to the Fall 2005 semester!

Chancellor’s Scholarship recipients announced

I have named 19 students as this year’s recipients of the prestigious UH Hilo Chancellor’s Scholarship. The university established the scholarship three years ago to attract, support, and recognize outstanding graduates from high schools throughout the state of Hawai‘i. We’re very pleased to extend scholarship opportunities to these students from throughout Hawai‘i who have distinguished themselves through their hard work and dedication. We look forward to playing a significant role in their continued academic development.

The 2005-2006 scholars and their respective high schools include: Joshua Acosta, Angela Capogrossi, and Kanani Frazier (Hilo High School); Alain Takane and Shana Thompson (Waiakea High School); Shawna Keelan and Kendra Tidwell (Pahoa High School); Shirnel Enos (Kea‘au High School); Ralph Itliong (Laupahoehoe High School); Joshua Villarin (Honoka‘a High School); Kendall Kunitake and Jennifer Losalio (Konawaena High School); Robert Lee Loy (Kealakehe High School); and Mino‘akaoke‘alohi Kahananui (Ka Ana La‘ahana).

Neighbor island high school recipients include: Caleana Duffey (Halau Ku Mana); Jezzalyn Grilho (Waialua High School); Tilden-Christen Miguel (Lab School); Kari Rodrigues (Baldwin High School); and Andrew Zydrski (Mililani High School).

The recipients graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class and earned grade point averages of at least 3.5. Other factors such as leadership, experience and potential, community service, SAT scores, and financial need were considered in selecting the scholars. The scholarship is guaranteed for four years as long as the student maintains a superior grade point average each year.

I hosted a luncheon for the new scholars during Orientation Week last month and I was so impressed with the high caliber of these talented young men and women. The recipients will take an honors course together during their first semester at UH Hilo, and will be invited to participate in various leadership and service opportunities throughout their college careers. The first group of Chancellor’s Scholars who entered the university three years ago will graduate from UH Hilo in May 2006. Congratulations to all these budding scholars!

New top-notch administrators

We have two new college deans and an astronomy center director at the university this fall. One is a familiar face at UH Hilo, while two are newcomers.

Long-time professor and administrator at UH Hilo, Dr. Marcia Sakai, has been named dean of the College of Business and Economics. Her many years of teaching, research, and community service demonstrate the kind of leadership qualities that will make her an outstanding dean. Over the past few years, she led what was once a business division within another college through several transformations: she served as chair of the business and economics division, then director of the School of Business Administration, and most recently as interim dean of the recently formed College of Business.

Most notably, in Dec. 2004, Dr. Sakai led the newly-formed college through an arduous accreditation process, culminating in official accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International, the international accreditation association. The college is one of only thirty-five undergraduate business programs that have earned international business accreditation from the AASCB-International, the hallmark of excellence in management education and the highest standard of achievement for schools worldwide.

Dr. Sakai received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Hawai‘i at M?noa in 1969 and her master’s degrees in mathematics and in economics in 1971 and 1984 respectively, and her doctorate degree in economics in 1985. She was initially appointed as an assistant professor at UH Hilo in 1991 and was awarded the rank of professor in 2000.

I wish to thank the search committee members Dr. Kelly Burke, Dr. Jerry Calton, Dr. Emmeline de Pillis, Dr. Harry Hennessey, Ms. Mabelle Hennessey, Mr. Harris Hirata, Mr. Steve Humphers, Dr. Eric Im, and Ms. Carol Van Camp for their time, effort and commitment to the university.

I’m also pleased to welcome newcomer Dr. William Steiner as dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management. Previously, Dr. Steiner served as director of the Pacific Islands Ecosystems Research Center in Honolulu for 10 years, a responsibility that included oversight of federal research in the Pacific Basin. While at that post, Dr. Steiner has remained active in teaching, holding the position of adjunct associate professor at the University of Missouri from 1986-1995 and adjunct professor at the University of Hawai‘i at M?noa from 1995 to the present. He also is an associate in research with the Bishop Museum and serves on the State of Hawai‘i Endangered Species Review Committee.

I’m very pleased about Dr. Steiner’s appointment and I welcome him to our university ‘ohana. His extensive background as a teacher and researcher make him an outstanding choice for this position.

I wish to thank the search committee members Dr. Kevin Hopkins, Dr. Lorna Arita-Tsutsumi, Mr. Melvin Jadulang, Dr. Wayne Nishijima, Dr. Michael Parsons, Dr. William Sakai, and Mr. Richard Short for their time, effort and commitment to the university.

And I’m just as pleased to welcome Mr. Peter Giles as director of the Mauna Kea Astronomy Education Center, which is scheduled to open at the end of the year at UH Hilo’s University Park of Science and Technology. Mr. Giles, who started his new post Sept. 1, comes to the center after serving 18 years as president and CEO at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California.

We are extremely fortunate to have a director for the center with the museum leadership experience of Mr. Giles. His background includes building and operating “The Tech,” a world-class technology learning center and visitor attraction, as well as his service on the board of the Association of Science and Technology Centers and the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau. His experience will prove invaluable as we prepare to open our own world-class interpretive learning center and visitor attraction to the public. The center will feature a state-of-the-art laser planetarium, an object theater, and a 3D Journey through Time and Space engaging visitors in the fascinating discoveries of astronomy with compelling glimpses into linkages to Hawaiian traditions.

Sadly, as Mr. Giles arrives, we must bid a fond aloha to Dr. Marlene Hapai, who has served as director of the center and planetarium-in-progress since January 2004. Dr. Hapai was the right leader to bring the center forward from concept to the impressive institution taking shape at the university’s science and tech park. I would like to thank Dr. Hapai for her hard work and dedication to this project, she did a magnificent job. I know it was a labor of love for her and we will miss her greatly. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

We also bid a warm aloha and farewell to Dr. Margaret Haig, dean of the College of Continuing Education and Community Service. On behalf of the university, I send Dr. Haig congratulations on her new position as vice chancellor for academics at Peralta Community College District, a four-college district that includes the College of Alameda, Laney College and Merritt College in Oakland, and Vista Community College in Berkeley. I would like to thank Dr. Haig for her tireless dedication while serving at UH Hilo and I wish her all the best in her new position, where I know she will continue to excel.

New academic programs

This fall we welcome the first 20 pre-pharmacy students. The group is expected to make up the charter cohort of the UH Hilo College of Pharmacy, approved last year by the UH Board of Regents. We are currently interviewing for the dean of the college, and we expect to open the doors in the fall of 2007. Students enrolled in the college will earn a Doctorate of Pharmacy, the professional degree necessary for licensure as a pharmacist.

I’m very excited about this program, which will help a national need as well as Hawai‘i’s particular need for pharmacists in rural communities. The UH Hilo pharmacy program will expand educational opportunities for local students wanting careers that will benefit our island communities, and with this program, students can accomplish their educational goals without leaving home.

And we are moving forward with establishing the university’s Doctorate in Hawaiian and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization, approved last year by the UH Board of Regents. This 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.

These Hawaiian 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 with their own languages.

Mahalo to our State Legislators

I’d like to thank the Big Island delegation for their full support this past session. Sixteen million was released for the Student Life and Events Center, $20 million was approved for the Science and Technology Building, $2 million was approved for building planning for the Hawaiian Language College, and $3.75 million was approved for the second phase of developing the North Hawai‘i Research and Education Center in Honoka‘a. It was a very challenging session and without the support of our delegation we would not have been so successful. Mahalo!

UH Hilo’s University Park of Science and Technology growing

Since my arrival at UH Hilo in 1998, I have placed as a top priority the development of the UH Hilo University Park of Science and Technology. I believe that this community outreach activity to bring new research and technology industries to the Big Island is key to the future development of the university, the island, and the state. Increased research and a public science education industry will boost the economy through planning and construction activities, and then develop a sustainable economic base with long-term employment opportunities for university students, graduates, and other professionals.

So I am very excited with the recent developments at the park. We celebrate two major USDA research facilities, one opened this summer and the other nearly complete, at a $73 million investment and projected employment of approximately 130 professionals and technicians. And we celebrate the near completion of the NASA-funded astronomy education center.

Specifically, we have accomplished the planning, construction, and opening this summer of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry complex at a cost of $11 million, to employ approximately 10 professionals and technicians plus other support staff. Also in the works is the construction of the USDA Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (groundbreaking in 2004) at a cost of $62 million and planning to employ approximately 120 professionals and technicians plus support staff.

And just about complete is the magnificent Mauna Kea Astronomy Education Center (groundbreaking in 2004) at a cost of $27.5 million (NASA funds), which will employ approximately 35 professionals, technicians, and support staff.

As this new research and education industry grows and multiplies, the university’s resources are enriched, and academic and professional programs in support of the expanding business sector emerge. These educational and employment opportunities attract and retain educated young people to the island, thus strengthening and developing local communities in positive ways and helping to reverse the county’s “brain drain.” This symbiotic relationship between university, governmental, scientific, and business interests is the new paradigm for sustainable development and is especially effective at engaging remote locales in the global economy.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the many members of the community who have supported the university in these endeavors. Many thanks to UH system senior management, the County of Hawai‘i, our dedicated state legislators and other government officials, and local organizations such as the Hawai‘i Island Economic Development Board, chamber of commerce groups, rotary clubs, and other scientific, academic, and business groups. It is through this community and statewide support that we grow the park together for the benefit of all. Kudos!

A busy summer

Before I close, I’d like to share with you some of my summer activities.

I spent 10 days on the Governor’s Trade Mission to China. Along with key state leaders, I joined Governor Lingle to explore business, education, tourism, culture/arts, and technology trade and exchange opportunities.

One of the highlights was a visit to Zhongshan University, also called Sun Yat-Sen University, located in Guangzhou. Along with UH Interim President David McClain and Zhongshan University President Huang Daren, I signed an agreement to expand exchange programs between Hawai‘i and China.

I also entered UH Hilo into a cooperative agreement with Peking University designed to foster international cooperation in education and research. This agreement includes the exchange of scholars, students, and academic information, and organization of joint research programs and conferences. The agreement on the Chinese Philosophy and Comparative Philosophy Program between UH Hilo and Peking University includes promotion of cooperation in post-graduate studies.

In China I also met with David Sun of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority who is stationed in Shanghai. He and I discussed possible roles of UH Hilo in Chinese trade travels with groups such as university officials, faculty, and students coming for training or other education programs over the summer and winter holidays. I look forward to brainstorming with Mr. Sun and others about opening up more educational opportunities for educators and students of both countries.

Also this summer I was named to Governor Lingle’s 31-member Economic Momentum Commission convened to perpetuate the economic vitality the state has experienced over the past two-and-a-half years. The goal of the commission is to develop an action plan that sustains the state’s current economic momentum over the long-term, avoids the traditional peaks and valleys of economic cycles, and enhances Hawai‘i’s natural and cultural resources.

The bipartisan commission includes key leaders from Maui, Kaua‘i, the Big Island and O‘ahu who represent small and large businesses, labor unions, non-profit social agencies, environmental and cultural organizations, educational institutions, government and the military. We are focusing on three areas: new job creation, creating the 21st century workforce, and improving our quality of life.

I am chair of the Workforce Development Partnerships Committee and I have been holding meetings and discussions with many local groups, getting input on what is needed for successful workforce development. I will keep you updated on the progress, and I look forward to presenting our recommendations to the Governor this fall.

I also attended a farewell dinner in San Jose for outgoing commissioners of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the national accreditation group responsible for the entire Western region of the US, where I just concluded a three-year term as a member of the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities. I was the only commissioner from Hawai‘i. I greatly value the experiences I had while working on this commission. We focused on many issues, including the use of accreditation to enhance student learning, as well as strengthening WASC’s new outcome-based focus. As a commissioner, I met with officials of national and foreign universities interested in accreditation. This exchange really impressed upon me that the future of higher education involves global connections. The discussions were enlightening and I am inspired to continue the collaborative dialogue to the benefit of UH Hilo and the surrounding community.

Mahalo for your support

Thank you for your continued support of UH Hilo. Together we share in the transformation of UH Hilo from the small branch campus of yesteryear to a full service comprehensive university of the 21st century.

Aloha,

Rose Tseng