Remarks by Chancellor Rose Tseng
2007 Spring Highlights
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Ho‘oulu Terrace

Aloha and Welcome to the Spring 2007 semester!

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us today. Kudos to you for advising and guiding our students as we open spring semester. I know you have been working hard to give our students a successful start. Please know how much I appreciate your dedication and commitment. This is what makes UH Hilo a very special place.

I am pleased to share with you our opening spring enrollment. We increased our count to 3,287, with a gain of 18 students or 0.6%. We are the only campus in the UH system to show steady enrollment increases every spring semester for the past nine years.

Today, I would like to share with you selected highlights of our university. And then we will conclude our program with introductions of our new faculty and staff.

Each January, as we focus on our new students, I am also focusing on the opening of the State Legislature. It is a crucial time for funding and building UH Hilo’s case to the Legislature.

We appreciate the support the Legislature gives us each year. But this support does not come by luck. It comes by our own hard work and sometimes a hard fight for what we need to make UH Hilo the best it can be.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your hard work during the Legislative season. I am very appreciative of you.

This past Friday, UH Hilo participated in UH Day at the State Capitol. We were striking in all our red attire! Thank you, everyone, who represented UH Hilo. The legislators enjoyed meeting and talking with our students. The UH Hilo Samoan Club made a great impression with their dancing! Everyone represented UH Hilo with pride. A special thank you to Alyson and the University Relations crew for coordinating.

As background for our newcomers here today, when I came to UH Hilo in 1998, I surveyed our faculty and staff and the community-at-large. Together we developed priorities and established three major goals: 1) academic excellence, 2) enrollment growth, and 3) resource development to achieve our Strategic Plan.

We have done well in 1 and 2, but resources are always a challenge. For resources, I give testimony to the Legislature, to the House Finance Committee, the Joint Senate and House Committees on Higher Education, and the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Today, I will share some key points in my testimony, along with some highlights of our university.

UH Hilo holds many distinctions. No other university in the world can make claim to our remarkable geographical and cultural diversity. We are leaders in studies in indigenous cultures, environmental sciences and conservation biology.

At UH Hilo, we integrate science, culture and technology to prepare and transform our students to meet global challenges. Our faculty are excellent teachers and researchers dedicated to giving our students an exemplary education both in the classroom and in our island’s natural learning laboratory. All this, together with our island’s aloha spirit, creates a very special teaching and learning environment.

UH Hilo’s excellence was recognized by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges when our accreditation was reaffirmed for ten years. WASC commended us for our “bold vision of service to the Hawaiian community,” and our efforts to “transform from a liberal arts college to a comprehensive university that serves the workforce needs of Hawai‘i.” Thank you to April Komenaka and others involved in the upcoming special visit.

Also accredited are the College of Business and Economics, the Nursing Program, and the Education Program.

Thanks to your vision and hard work, UH Hilo now offers 35 baccalaureate degrees, six master degrees and two doctorates among our five colleges. I’d like to share some recent highlights with you from each of the colleges.

The College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management

The college of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management has started a new Agricultural Students Club aimed at community service projects.

Another exciting initiative is the Big Island Biodiesel Consortium to explore new fuel crop development with the island’s major landowners. The goal of the project is to create sustainable energy and create new jobs.

The College of Arts and Sciences

At the College of Arts and Sciences, Becky Ostertag, professor of biology, received a five-year NSF career grant. Chris Frueh, professor of psychology, received a five-year mid-career grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health. As Randy Hirokawa, dean of the college, says, “This is a BIG Deal!” We are very proud of Becky and Chris and the important work they are doing.

The Office of Mauna Kea Management has formally approved the Physics and Astronomy Departments to install our 36-inch telescope to replace the old UH 24-inch telescope on Mauna Kea. This telescope will provide incredible hands-on learning for our students.

Last November, two programming teams from our Computer Science Department placed 2nd and 3rd in the state in a Pacific Northwest Programming Contest, part of a worldwide competition.

College of Business and Economics

The College of Business and Economics is working with the Development Office on a spring entrepreneurship colloquium for students teamed up with successful Hawai‘i entrepreneurs. There are also plans for another colloquium, co-sponsored with Junior Achievement.

College faculty, together with the Center for Global Education and Exchange, will be sending five junior or senior business students to a six-week summer program called “Elite American Youth Leader Camp” sponsored by Asia University in Taiwan.

College of Hawaiian Language

At the College of Hawaiian Language, the first doctoral cohort of five students continues into its second semester.

Increasingly, the college’s Hawaiian Language faculty are invited to speak about UH Hilo’s Hawaiian language revitalization model to Native American tribes interested in revitalizing their own endangered languages.

College of Pharmacy

The College of Pharmacy is a perfect example of how UH Hilo is responding to the state’s professional workforce needs. We will welcome students from the Big Island, O‘ahu, Maui and Kaua‘i and have clinical sites on each of these islands. We have completed our initial accreditation report, started hiring faculty, and are looking forward to welcoming the first class in Fall 2007.

College of Continuing Education and Community Service

At the College of Continuing Education and Community Service, The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is in its 3rd year of a grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation to develop communities of adult learners throughout the island. In the first two years, the program enrolled more than 1,300 adult learners in 126 courses.

Over the next six months, the Osher Institute will be busy enrolling folks at least 45 years old so the program will qualify for a $1 million endowment grant award. To help them reach their goal of 500 members, please encourage people to sign up!

‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i

‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i is a shining example of UH Hilo’s engagement with the island community, state, and the world. Universities are not “ivory towers” anymore. We have a responsibility to develop outreach projects that inspire the public, especially youngsters, to explore science, culture, and technology. This is how we stimulate young people for a lifetime of learning. Our professors from the Astronomy and Physics departments, and from the College of Hawaiian language, have been instrumental in creating this educational and cultural resource for all of us. Thank you for your dedication.

Student Life and Events Center

We recently held the groundbreaking of the Student Life and Events Center. With this center, we will be able to meet critical needs of our students, many of whom have worked very hard to bring this center to reality.

Library

The Library renovation project is off to a good start. The renovations will provide new floors, fresh paint, a better air system, better security, and more. Thank you for your patience during this renovation project.

Saturday, January 27, is Benefit Day for the Friends of the Library at Borders Books. Bring in a Library coupon to Borders and get 15% of your purchase donated to the Friends of the Mookini Library. You can pick up coupons at the Library.

Also, while we are talking about January 27, if you are on campus, you will see hundreds of kids and faculty enjoying our annual ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i. It’s a very popular community event. The kids have a lot of fun! The faculty have fun, too, teaching the youngsters all about science.

Athletics

We are proud that forty percent of our student-athletes achieved a 3-point GPA or higher last semester. We added three new sports with 88 student-athletes and 12 new coaches. One of the greatest accomplishments is full Title IX compliance. This is a huge achievement that took courage and persistence to reach.

Degree Pathways

UH Hilo has begun work with the community colleges to improve articulation. We are working together to create a program called Degree Pathways. This program will facilitate students’ pathways to a four-year degree.

Enrollment

UH Hilo has clearly achieved many major milestones. But we continue to face challenges in our operations and services, primarily because the level of funding has not kept pace with our enrollment growth.

The average annual rate of enrollment growth since Fall 1997 is 3.65% with an overall increase of about 33% from 1997 to 2006. Fall 2006 headcount of 3,507 was largely due to an increase in students from Hawai‘i. This headcount was the highest enrollment in the history of our campus.

Challenges

But during our overall enrollment growth, staffing levels and services in academic affairs, student affairs, administrative affairs and the library remained constant and were adversely affected due to limited resources. We did receive some relief last year, but we still have many critical needs.

We have submitted 36 requests in planning for the Biennium Budget. Unfortunately, most of them are not included in the Governor’s Executive Budget. Nevertheless, we are in the process of working hard justifying them. These requests– which come from you– include student services, programs, instructional positions, essential infrastructure needs and outreach to underserved communities.

Grant Funding

Congratulations for all your hard work with grant funded projects.

One of my top priorities is increasing research funding. When I arrived nine years ago, the grant process was difficult for you and UH Hilo was attracting only about $3 million annually. We fought hard to streamline and strengthen our grant process. Since then, you have secured major grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, NASA, USDA, and others. Grants monies increase annually and currently top $20 million.

Could everyone who is working on grants or helping with grant projects please stand up and be recognized?

Our grant-funded programs that promote science and technology education meet many island and state needs, but also meet national and international needs, too. These programs prepare our students to become productive global citizens of the 21st century. Some of these grant programs are:

• Student Support Services Program
• Kipuka, Native Hawaiian Student Support Program
• Keaholoa STEM Program
• Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES)
• Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
• University of Hawai‘i Hawaiian Internship Program (UH-HIP)
• Micronesia & American Samoa Student Internship Program (MASSIP)
• Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS)
• University of Hawai‘i Space Grant Consortium

Thank you to those of you working on these projects.

Graduate Programs

Our six graduate programs were established in response to our state’s social, economic and cultural issues. We currently serve 100 graduate students. It’s not easy breaking new ground and each program was hard won. But UH Hilo’s faculty and staff have the skill and dedication to bring dynamic education to our students– both graduate and undergraduate programs.

Thank you to Dan Brown and the Graduate Council for all their hard work.

Conclusion to 2007 Highlights

We’ve come a long way during my tenure. But if we had adequate resources, UH Hilo could address the educational needs of underserved regions and populations of the entire state. UH Hilo is the perfect campus to prepare a professional work force to meet global needs. I am eager to continue working with you to transform UH Hilo into a world-class comprehensive university for the benefit of our island, state, and beyond.

Introducing Newcomers

Now we’d like to introduce new faculty and staff who have joined us since last fall. As your name is called, please come forward. I will also call on some people to help with introductions.

Let’s start with Peter Giles, director of ‘Imiloa Astronomy Education Center, who will introduce the center’s new staff.

• Carlos Moller, Facilities Manager
• Carolyn Kaneshiro, Volunteer Coordinator
• Casamero Arabiana, Landscape Curator
• Christina Huey, School Tour Associate
• Grant Tioganco, Facilities Maintenance Associate
• Hokuao Pellegrino, Landscape Curator
• Ka‘iu Kimura, Experience Coordinator
• Nico Schnitzler, Membership and Development Associate
• Patty McGraw, Finance Associate
• Roxanne Ching, Reservations Associate
• Shawn Laatsch, Planetarium Manager
• Tome Kane, Information Technology Specialist

Dr. Steve Hora, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, will introduce newcomers for Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, College of Continuing Education and Community Service, and Library.

• Ms. Jenny Wakida, Secretary to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Ms. Wakida served as secretary to the University Librarian for more than twenty years. Before that, she worked at the College of Continuing Education and Community Service.

• Dr. Michael O’Donnell, Dean of the College of Continuing Education and Community Service. Previously, he served at Salish Kootenai College, a tribal college in Montana, as academic dean, vice president for administration and branch campus director over the course of 30 years.

• Mr. Chuck Malenfant, Head of Public Services. Prior to coming to Hawai‘i, he led Reference and Instruction for the library of Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has also served at Florida Gulf Coast University, in Ft. Myers, and Broward Community College, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

• Mr. Brian Bays, Serials and Government Documents Librarian. He previously served as a temporary librarian for the Mookini Library and a Branch Manager in the Hawai‘i State Public Library System.

• Ms. Amy Knehans, Pharmacy and Health Sciences Librarian. She previously worked as a temporary technical services librarian for the Edwin H. Mookini Library and formerly worked at Eastern Virginia Medical School Biomedical Sciences Library.

• Ms. Helen Wong Smith, Hawaiian Collection Librarian and Archivist. She has established several libraries and archives including the Kamehameha Schools’ Hawai‘i campus’s library, the Queen’s Medical Center archives, and Bank of Hawai‘i’s archives.

• Ms. Kathleen Stacey, Head of Technical Services. She most recently worked at Montgomery College in Germantown, Maryland, a community college in Washington, DC.

Dr. Randy Hirokawa, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences will introduce for CAS.

• Ms. Susan Field, Clinical Instructor, Nursing. She is an educator and advanced family practice nurse.
• Ms. Mary Andrews, Junior Specialist, Nursing Lab Coordinator. She has extensive experience in teaching distance learning nursing masters students.
• Ms. Pam Vicente, Junior Specialist. She was a clinical instructor and now serves as Lab Coordinator assisting faculty with student lab work.
• Ms. Amy Gregg, Instructor and Head of Women’s Studies
• Julie-Ann Thomas, Lecturer, Political Science
• Carolyn Blankenfield, Lecturer, Sociology
• Dr. Candace Rosovsky, Lecturer, Sociology
• Anne Bunker, Lecturer, Performing Arts, dance teacher

Dr. Marcia Sakai will introduce for College of Business and Economics.

• Dr. Janet Kimbrell, Visiting professor of Accounting from Oklahoma State University. She will be instructing our Intermediate Accounting and Accounting ethics elective courses and assisting with planning the accounting major that we will take to the BOR this year.

• Dr. Karl Vesper, Visiting Professor of Management, Mechanical Engineering and Marine Studies from the University of Washington. He helped to found the Babson College entrepreneurship program and research series. Dr. Vesper will be co-teaching with Dr. Emmeline dePillis in Mgt 425 Planning for New Business Ventures, among other duties. He will help us identify how we can create a stronger focus on entrepreneurship at the college and will consult with faculty on entrepreneurship research.

Dr. Keith Miser will introduce for Student Affairs.

• In the Admissions Office, Ms. Cheryl Sarme, Clerk IV. Ms. Sarme started her career with the State of Hawai‘i in 1994 with the Department of Education. Previously, she worked at the Department of Health.

• At the Advising Center, Debra Pina, Clerk Typist II. Previously, she was employed at the Office of Housing and Community Development in Hilo.

• At the Financial Aid Office, Cynthia Yamamoto, Clerk Typist III. Before relocating to the Big Island, she was working with the UH College of Tropical Agriculture in Kane‘ohe and has prior financial aid experience at the UH Manoa financial aid office.

Director Kathy McNalley will do introduction for Athletics.

• Gwen Kagaoan, Director of Academic Support Services. Ms. Kagaoan’s background in athletics comes from her experience at both the University of San Francisco and San Francisco State. She is an experienced administrator with significant experience in the academic monitoring of student-athlete welfare and needs. She also has a strong background in event management and softball that will serve our Vulcan athletics programs well.

Mr. Kolin Kettleson is next for Administrative Affairs.

• Auxiliary has three new employees: Mr. Timothy Wehrsig, Mr. Eugene Fu, and Ms. Cyrena Belaski who are in janitorial service.

• Mr. Neal Nagao promoted to the Maintenance Supervisor.

• Ms. Lois Fujiyoshi is the new Budget Director reporting directly to the Vice Chancellor for Administrative Affairs.

• Ms. Jo-Ann Nishioka is on temporary assignment as Fiscal Officer.

Mr. Sunny Walker will make introduction for Office of Technology and Distance Learning.

• Mr. Daniel Olson, Information Technology Specialist. Previously, Mr. Olsen worked as a Computer Services Manager at Seattle Pacific University. He specializes in servers and personal computers.

Thank you.

Now I would like to call upon our special group of volunteers who continue to make our campus beautiful– they are very dedicated people and we really appreciate them!

RSVP

• Ramon Abong
• Robert Koga
• Harue Kaneshiro
• Caroline Madrid
• George Matsubara
• Philomena Rabago
• Sueno Saruwatari
• Jean Funai

And other special volunteers

• Chiyono Kinoshita
• Junko Nowaki
• Lynn Shimazu

Chancellor’s Advisory Board

• Wayne Hamano
• Mary Begier
• Elizabeth Lindsey Buyers
• Russell Chin
• Newton Chu
• Gregory Chun
• Robert Fujimoto
• Helen Hemmes
• Alec Keith
• Robert Kihune
• Bea Lau
• Roy Nakamoto
• Russ Oda
• Monty Richards
• Gladys Sonomura
• Barry Taniguchi
• John Tolmie
• William Walter
• Sheila Watumull
• Jim Wilson
• Ross Wilson, Jr.
• Vern Yamanaka

Special guests

• Mayor Harry Kim
• Dylan Nonaka, Governor’s Liaison
• Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Tajiri
• Dave DeLuz, Chamber President
• Pheobe Lambeth, Chamber President

Mahalo and Aloha!

That concludes our program today. Thank you again for joining us. Thank you, everyone, for working together to build UH Hilo into the best comprehensive university. We have achieved much, but there is still much to do. Let us continue to move forward together, with the spirit of aloha.

Please stay and enjoy the refreshments. Aloha.