Summer 2007

UH Hilo celebrated 2007 Spring Commencement on May 12. It was a joy to see the support of friends, families and the community for our graduates. Many state and county elected officials also attended to honor our graduates. Keynote speaker was Jack Gifford, a pioneer in the analog microchip industry and founder of Maxim Integrated Products.

Each commencement is more exciting than the last with our growth of enrollment and degree programs. Not long ago, UH Hilo was a small liberal arts campus on a few acres. Now, we are a comprehensive university excelling in liberal arts, professional degrees and applied research with room to grow to 700 acres. We now have five academic colleges and offer 35 baccalaureate degrees, six master degrees and two doctorates.

Our master programs were established in response to the state’s social, economic and cultural issues. The university currently serves over 100 graduate students in the fields of China U.S. Relations; Counseling Psychology; Education; Hawaiian Language and Literature; Indigenous Language, Culture and Education; and Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science.

We just received news that the university’s College of Pharmacy has achieved the first step in the Pharmacy School Accreditation Process. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education has granted the College of Pharmacy Pre-Candidate Status. Our college is the first recognized by the ACPE to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy degree in the State of Hawai‘i. It is expected to enroll an inaugural class of 90 students beginning this fall with 45 students from Hawai‘i and 45 students from the mainland and elsewhere in the world.

Read the rest of this entry »

New college will help cure pharmacist shortage

Pacific Business News (external news site determines when link will expire).

Rendering of UH Hilo College of Pharmacy building

Summary:

The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is launching the state’s first public college of pharmacy this fall. Its dean, John Pezzuto, former dean of the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences at Purdue University, spoke with PBN’s Howard Dicus about the new UH Hilo school.

Pezzuto says there is a shortage of pharmacists in Hawai‘i, and the college will answer the state’s need. It is the only college of pharmacy in the Pacific region as a whole. The first class starts in August with 70 students accepted and a waiting list of 30 or 40.

The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is launching its first specialized business major. The Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting was approved by the UH Board of Regents at its May meeting. The program is endorsed by the Hawai‘i Association of Public Accountants and the Hawai‘i Society of Certified Public Accountants, which represent the accounting profession in Hawai‘i.

“We are pleased to add a BBA in accounting to the degrees offered by our College of Business and Economics,” said Chancellor Rose Tseng. “This is an excellent entry degree for professional level accounting and a firm foundation for graduate study in Business and related disciplines.”

The new major starts in Fall 2008.

Following the National Science Board’s visit to UH Hilo, Steven C. Beering, NSB chairman, released the following statement:

We realize that students at UH Hilo have such extraordinary experiences because of the outstanding guidance and support provided by the university’s administration, faculty and staff. I commend the leadership at UH Hilo for their farsighted efforts and for embracing and integrating the concept of ‘ohana, or family, into the culture of the university. This creates a community where students, especially those from families experiencing hardships, are offered believable hope and a clear path to achieve their dreams and aspirations. UH Hilo is truly an exemplary institution that builds on its unique heritage and environment to promote a sense of connectedness throughout the campus and ultimately, to make a positive difference in the lives of its students.

I greatly appreciated the many briefings and discussions at UH Hilo highlighting the enormous value in weaving Native Hawaiian and broader Pacific Islander culture and perspectives into science and engineering research and education in Hawai‘i. We can benefit and learn from the Hawaiian model for pro-actively broadening participation of under-represented minorities is fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. With this knowledge of experiences and model initiatives, we hope to be better positioned to address national policy issues related to science and engineering research and education, as well as improving our guidance and policies for NSF as it continues to enhance its critical support of such effort in Hawai‘i and throughout our nation.

Chancellor Tseng’s Remarks
National Science Board*
June 7, 2007
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo

Good morning and aloha. I’m delighted to welcome you to the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

There are exciting things happening at our university, and more exciting things that we envision for the future.

UH Hilo has made a rapid transformation from a liberal arts undergraduate institution to a comprehensive university. Caring for and transforming the lives of our undergraduate students remains the soul of UH Hilo, but we have added opportunities for them with research experience and graduate study options.

The hallmark of UH Hilo is to integrate research and teaching. We believe this is an excellent model for all education, but especially so for the sciences.

Pacific peoples accomplished one of the greatest achievements of ancient times with their remarkable colonization of the Pacific. We try to tap into the science-based nature of Pacific cultures to make our science courses and research activities relevant for our students.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chancellor’s Message

Chamber Connection

June 2007

UH Hilo celebrated Spring Commencement on May 12. It was a joy to see the support of friends, families and the community for our graduates. Many state and county elected officials also attended to honor our graduates. Keynote speaker was Jack Gifford, a pioneer in the analog microchip industry and founder of Maxim Integrated Products.

Each commencement is more exciting than the last with our growth of enrollment and degree programs. When I was appointed chancellor in 1998, there were no advanced degree programs and now UH Hilo offers six.

Three of our master’s programs answer community and global needs: Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, China-U.S. Relations, and Counseling Psychology.

The biology graduate program is a perfect fit for our island because our location is one of the best places in the world to study conservation.

Did you know that of the United States total of 1,310 endangered plants and animals, 329 are native Hawaiian species? That’s 25% of all endangered species in the country! In addition, Hawai‘i’s endangered plants are 37% of U.S. total endangered plant species—273 of 744 species.

Our conservation biology master’s program uses this extraordinary ecosystem as a “living laboratory.” Graduate students study natural resource issues found in our own backyard.

The multidisciplinary program has 30 faculty participating from the fields of anthropology, biology, chemistry, geography, geology and marine science. Students conduct applied research alongside their professors in ecology, genetics and environmental monitoring.

Thesis topics include research on the endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper, DNA fingerprinting of Nene, arsenic in Wailoa River sediment, and control of coqui. Graduate students and their faculty advisors also routinely include UH Hilo undergraduates in research projects.

A core component of the program involves collaborations with government agencies. Partnerships with the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources, U. S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration strengthen the university and our island community by stimulating important research.

Our graduate students also serve as teaching fellows with K-12 teachers and students to strengthen primary and secondary education science courses and inspire youngsters to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science graduate program helps develop a thriving professional workforce in response to state and national needs. The multidiscipline program gives our graduates a boost in science careers or pursuit of a doctoral degree.

Mahalo for all your support. When we all work together, great things happen!