Chancellor Tseng gave a talk last week on “Higher Education’s Role in Addressing Women and Aging” to the Organizing Committee for the 4th World Women University Presidents Forum. The international forum will be held in Beijing in 2009. Chancellor Tseng is the United States representative on the committee, which met at Josai University in Japan, June 3-6, to discuss higher education issues and plan for the forum. Below are her remarks on higher ed’s role in addressing women & aging.

The 3rd World Women University Presidents Forum (at left) was held in Beijing in 2006. More than 100 women university presidents from 34 countries and regions attended. Chancellor Tseng currently represents the United States on the committee organizing the 4th World Women University Presidents Forum to be held in Beijing in 2009. Xinhua Photo. Link

University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng’s Remarks

“Higher Education’s Role in Addressing Women and Aging”

Organizing Committee for the 4th World Women University Presidents 2009 Forum

June 4, 2008

Japan

Aloha! Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.

I’ve been asked to talk to you about the role of higher education in addressing the problems of women and aging.

I’m not a sociologist, but I do have experience in starting gerontology programs– I understand the importance.

I also consulted with colleagues who are experts in gerontology, and they helped me to put together some data for you about women and aging in America and the state of Hawai‘i.

Today’s Talk on Women & Aging

Today I’d like to share with you:

• Trends and projections about women and aging in the United States and Hawai‘i.
• Some ideas about how universities can help older women improve their quality of life, with examples about programs and research at UH Hilo.
• And I will conclude with some ideas about how we, as women leaders, can help address the problem of women and aging.

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Psychology professor and “local girl” Cheryl Ramos (center) receives the Taniguchi Award for Excellence and Innovation at the 2008 End-of-the Year Celebration. Funding for this award comes from the Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi Memorial Endowment Fund, which was established in memory of the founders of what is known today as KTA Superstores. The award was presented by Barry Taniguchi (left), president of KTA and the grandson of the endowment founders, and Randy Hirokawa (right), dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and chair of the award selection committee. Photos by John Oshima.

Aloha!

Once again, we celebrate the end of the academic year. This is a special time to recognize our colleagues, and my special time to say thank you to all of you. Your dedication to working together results in a great learning environment we can all be proud of.

This year, we’re also celebrating UH Hilo’s 60th year. We’ve been reviewing how far we’ve come in that time and the obstacles and hardships many people here have had to face as we struggle to advance our university. I want to say that I appreciate more than I can say how we all pull together for the betterment of UH Hilo.

Here are just a few highlights of what you all have achieved this semester.

Our terrific student athletes won the Commissioner’s Cup for the entire Pacific West Conference. This is a wonderful achievement! It means that ours is the top athletic program in the league. Our coaches and student athletes are to be congratulated.

Our faculty passed a new General Education program that had been years in the making. Our Faculty Congress led the way and developed a successful proposal. We’re all looking forward to seeing it implemented.

The hard work of many, many people goes into our budget requests. In this second year of the biennium, we were only allowed to request positions and funds to enhance health, safety and security on campus.

The legislature was generous to UH Hilo. We were given:

• A security director position
• Personnel for health and safety as well as safety education
• Personnel to improve physical and mental health services
• Restoration of a position in the library and five rangers on Mauna Kea

This is a very good showing for the second year of the biennium.

We had a great visit from the WASC site team. Many thanks to April Komenaka and the many people who took the time to meet with the visiting team.

In a few months, we’ll have the grand opening of our Student Life Center. We’ve been waiting for this a long time, and it will be worth it. We’ll finally be able to offer the exercise and recreational activities our students so badly need.

After decades of work, we will break ground on the new China-US Center this summer. This is another long-awaited project, which will double our student housing capacity.

Each and every one of these achievements were made possible by our faculty and staff, and often students, too, pulling together for the betterment of the university.

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Chancellor’s Remarks

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
International Conference & Annual Meeting
April 13, 2008

Honolulu

“The Role of Universities in Regional Prosperity”

Good afternoon and aloha! Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.

This afternoon I would like to share with you some thoughts about the role of universities and business schools in workforce and economic development, tell you a little about UH Hilo’s role as an economic engine, and then share with you some strategies that I hope you’ll find interesting and useful.

Compared to other developed countries, the U.S. lags in the proportion of its population who have an associate degrees or higher. This is a gathering storm. We need to enhance our human capital, and in the new knowledge economy, universities are recognized as the engine of economic growth.

The Big Island is a microcosm of the world: an island the size of Connecticut, surrounded by water, thousands of miles from the mainland. In fact, you could say our university is at the center of a big economic experiment. UH Hilo plays a huge role in the local economy, including direct expenditures on the island, second largest employer in east Hawai‘i, and workforce development. On the Big Island, it’s easy to see the effect UH Hilo has on the economy.

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Remarks by Chancellor Rose Tseng
Ho‘oulu Terrace

Aloha and Welcome to the Spring 2008 semester!

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us today.

Before I start, I’d like thank faculty and staff for advising our students this semester. I appreciate your dedication and commitment. Your Spirit of Aloha makes UH Hilo a very special place!

Today, I’d like to share some highlights of the university with you.

As background, when I came to UH Hilo in 1998, I surveyed our faculty and staff and the community. Together, we established three major goals: academic excellence, enrollment growth, and resource development.

The most important highlight today is UH Hilo’s commitment to excellence. It’s a commitment to high-quality programs and the best education possible. It’s a commitment to build strong communities, a thriving economy and professional workforce for the 21st century.

Thanks to your vision and hard work, UH Hilo has transformed into a comprehensive university with 36 baccalaureate, six master, and two doctoral degree programs.

Our six master programs are in response to our state’s social, economic and cultural needs. Thanks to your dedication, the programs were approved so we can bring dynamic education to our students.

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Testimony by Rose Tseng
Chancellor of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo

Presented before the Senate Committee on Education and
The House Committee on Higher Education
January 14, 2008
Hawai‘i State Legislature
Honolulu, Hawai‘i

Aloha. Chair Sakamoto, Chair Chang, Members of the Senate Committee on Education and of the House Committee on Higher Education, I thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

On behalf of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, I would like, first of all, to express my sincere appreciation to you for your investment in UH Hilo last year. Your support enables us to meet our commitment to offer our students excellent academic opportunities while making significant contributions to the economy and professional workforce on the island of Hawai‘i and throughout the state.

UH Hilo has evolved into a comprehensive university, with 36 baccalaureate and six master degree programs in liberal arts and professional areas. Yet UH Hilo preserves the ambiance of a small private college.

The positive difference is that UH Hilo is committed to being accessible to students of many varied and diverse backgrounds. Many of our students are the first in their families to attend college; many are holding down full-time jobs and raising children at the same time that they are pursuing college degrees; and many are from underserved rural communities of our island and state.

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Ho‘oulu Terrace, UH Hilo

Aloha Chair Lagareta, members of the Board of Regents, President McClain and colleagues. Welcome to UH Hilo.

Today I will highlight UH Hilo’s commitment to excellence.

It is a commitment to being both an institution of access and a destination-point institution. We are committed to offering high-quality programs to the citizens of our island, state, nation and world.

It is a commitment to our students to deliver the best quality education possible.

And it is a commitment to our island and state to help build strong communities, a thriving economy and professional workforce for the 21^st century.

UH Hilo is in the ideal position to build the professional workforce needed for our state’s rural communities.

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Wainaku Executive Center, Hilo

Those of you here tonight represent several generations of Big Islanders, so I don’t have to tell you how far UH Hilo has come since our founding 60 years ago. A few of you even helped get us started, and you can probably tell our history better than I can.

Some of you remember the tiny two-year extension program in the Hilo Boarding School, which grew into a small undergraduate liberal arts college, which evolved into the multi-faceted university we are today.

You’ve watched us take advantage of our island’s unique geographical setting to develop signature programs in marine science, astronomy, and conservation biology. You’ve seen us add six master’s programs and two doctoral programs. You’ve seen us double our enrollment, and burst at the seams!

Some of you may have joined your children or grandchildren for exciting adventures at our ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center. Or you may have hired our graduates and experienced firsthand the powerful economic impact of UH Hilo.

I wonder, however, how many of you have had an opportunity to look beyond these achievements and see some of the critical problems that the university is working to solve.

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Chancellor Tseng delivers Convocation at Ho‘oulu Terrace. Photo by John Oshima.

Aloha!

Today is the beginning of a new academic year. It’s exciting to welcome newcomers, and reunite with all of you, our university ‘ohana.

This week is busy with orientation activities. Thank you for your time helping students and new faculty. Your spirit of aloha makes UH Hilo a very special place. Before we introduce new members of our ‘ohana, I’d like to share some highlights of our university.

When I came to UH Hilo in 1998, I surveyed our university and local communities and together we made three major goals to achieve our Strategic Plan: 1) academic excellence, 2) enrollment growth, and 3) resource development.

We have all been working hard on all three. Thank you!

Academic excellence is our foundation. You are the best teachers, and your aloha spirit creates a very special learning environment.

Our island inspires the spirit of discovery, and many of our programs make the most of our living laboratory — culture, science, art, and more.

Student and professor collect data at the summit of Hualalai. Photo courtesy of Keaholoa STEM program.

At UH Hilo, we integrate science, culture and technology to prepare students for the 21st-century global economy and society.

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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.

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Chancellor’s Remarks
End-of-the-Year Celebration & Recognition Ceremony
May 10, 2007
Ho‘oulu Terrace

Aloha!

Once again, we celebrate the end of the academic year. This is a special time to recognize our colleagues, and my special time to say thank you to all of you. Your dedication and commitment to work together result in many achievements, and we can all be proud. Thank you for your hard work to achieve the best teaching and learning environment for our students.

SERVICE AWARDS

Today we celebrate and honor our university colleagues for their exemplary service and dedication to our university.

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