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.

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I join the entire UH Hilo community in expressing profound sympathy to the people of the Gulf Coast who are struggling with the aftermath of Katrina. The extent of the disaster is hard for any of us to comprehend, and I have met with campus academic and administrative leadership to assess how we at UH Hilo can best offer assistance to those in need.

Each campus in the UH system is doing all it can to offer support to those UH students who have ties to the affected region. We are also exploring ways we can offer assistance to faculty, researchers, and students at affected colleges and universities so that they may continue their research and studies during this semester.

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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!

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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.

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It is always exciting to begin a new semester at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. I would like to say a special thank you to our hard working faculty and staff for helping our students begin a successful spring semester.

Some of you may recall that when I started as chancellor five years ago in 1998, I set goals to improve three areas of our university: Image, Quality, and Resources. I am pleased to report that we have made excellent progress and achieved many milestones in reaching these goals. I emphasize WE because our achievements are because of the dedication and commitment of our faculty, staff, and local community to our students. Together, we have successfully moved our university forward.

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Happy Holidays!

I would like to extend my sincerest appreciation to the students, faculty, staff, and members of our island community for their hard work and dedication this past year. It has been a good year–certainly challenging in terms of the budget–and our ‘ohana worked tirelessly to create another memorable year of growth for our university.

Some of the outstanding accomplishments include: The UH Board of Regents approved the creation of the College of Business and Economics, and the new Master of Science in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science. Growth is also reflected in student enrollment this fall, which topped 3,300. And the beautiful new covered plaza between the new University Classroom Building and Campus Center is almost complete–it will be a wonderful hub for gatherings and socializing.

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Aloha and Welcome to Fall 2003. The opening of an academic year is truly a celebration. It marks new beginnings for all of us — students, faculty and staff — and new beginnings bring excitement and optimism.

At University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, our tradition is to celebrate the opening of the academic year with Fall Convocation. Convocation is my opportunity to say “Thank you” to everyone at our University for their commitment and dedication to make University of Hawai‘i at Hilo a very special place. It is also a time to welcome newcomers to our ‘ohana.

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As we approach the end of fall semester 2002, I would like to extend my warm aloha to our dedicated university ‘ohana who work passionately to help our students to fulfill their dreams and to make UH Hilo the best institution we aspire to be. Our good efforts have resulted in major achievements that we can celebrate and be proud of.

Over the years we have sustained a steady growth in enrollment, and this fall we achieved a milestone by exceeding 3,000 students! This would not have been possible without the collaborative effort of all of you who model the academic excellence and caring students yearn for in their educational pursuits. What transpires in the classroom and outside the classroom directly impacts students’ choices for selecting an institution and choosing to complete their degree at an institution. University of Hawai‘i at Hilo can be proud of both the image we project as well as the services we deliver to students. Some say, “We finally look like a ‘real’ university!”

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On behalf of our University ‘ohana, I send Aloha to our new faculty! They are a wonderfully diverse group of outstanding scholars, many with international experience, adding to UH Hilo’s unique multi-cultural community. It’s been a pleasure getting to know them, and I’m proud to welcome:

• Jonathan F. Dresner, assistant professor of history
• Michele M. Ebersole, assistant professor of education
• Ramon M. Figueroa, assistant professor of math

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Summer Greetings!

I hope everyone’s summer is going well and that you are taking time to have some fun! I thought I’d share some of the exciting UH Hilo summer happenings with you.

New academic programs

The long-awaited master of arts degree in counseling psychology was approved by the UH Board of Regents. The new program will begin in the fall of 2003 and allow local residents to pursue their master’s degree without leaving family, job, and other commitments.

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