Longtime Hilo residents Jim and Anne Sadayasu always intended to give back to UH Hilo, where they started their college careers in the early 1960s. But first they needed to put their three sons through undergraduate and graduate school on the mainland and the UH Manoa Law School. When they read recently about the UH Centennial Campaign and UH Hilo’s goal to increase the size of its endowment, they knew the time was right.

The Sadayasus stepped forward in May with a $50,000 donation to UH Hilo, inspired by the example of Barry Taniguchi of KTA Super Stores and Larry Isemoto of Isemoto Contracting, each of whom earlier donated $50,000 to fund endowments to support the recruitment and retention of faculty at the university. The gift will support two $25,000 endowed faculty funds at the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business and Economics.

“The Sadayasu family wishes to thank the people of the Big Island for their support throughout the years,” they said at a recent gift acceptance ceremony.

“We in turn are indebted to the Sadayasu family for a gift that will help us attract and retain the highest caliber faculty members, while building UH Hilo’s reputation as a top quality educational destination,” said Chancellor Rose Tseng.

Future state funding for UH Hilo is looking brighter due to action taken at the 2008 legislative session. While House and Senate lawmakers funded numerous health and safety needs deemed critical to the welfare of students, the milestone achievement at this year’s session was passage of legislation that will lead to a new more equitable funding formula for each of the 10 UH campuses.

Presently, UH campus operating budgets are determined each fiscal biennium based on specific program and personnel requests. Additionally, supplemental budget requests are prepared for the second year of each fiscal biennium to address unforeseen issues and funding deficiencies that have arisen after the biennial budget has been approved and funds allocated.

In contrast, the recently passed House Bill 2978 establishes a task force to assist the UH system in developing individual campus budgets for each of the 10 campuses based on an equitable enrollment-based formula.

“This is a welcome development that will benefit the entire university system,” says Chancellor Rose Tseng. “Linking budgetary allocations to enrollment gives all of us an incentive to continue growing, by providing assurances that growth will be supported financially.”

Full press release here.

Left to right, Walgreens Pharmacy Supervisor for Hawai‘i District Clark Fujihara, Walgreens Hawai‘i District Manager Dana Psomas, Chancellor Rose Tseng, and UH Hilo College of Pharmacy Dean John Pezzuto.

Walgreens recently gave a $50,000 unrestricted gift to UH Hilo’s College of Pharmacy. The nation’s largest pharmacy chain presented an oversized check to the university at a luau last Saturday attended by over 200 students, employees and supporters.

College of Pharmacy Dean John Pezzuto said the Walgreens gift will be used to help fund ongoing initiatives, such as student activities and faculty development. A permanent plaque commemorating the gift will be displayed in the College of Pharmacy.

“The College of Pharmacy is extremely pleased to accept Walgreens generous gift,” Pezzuto said. “As we celebrate the conclusion of our first year of studies, this gives us even greater confidence in our ability to train pharmacists who will enter the profession and help to improve healthcare throughout the state of Hawai‘i. We are very grateful and look forward to continuing our partnership with Walgreens for many years to come.”

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Left to right, Barry Taniguchi, Larry Isemoto and Rose Tseng. Photo by John Oshima.

Isemoto Contracting Company recently donated $50,000 to UH Hilo. Chairman Larry Isemoto was inspired to give when he read in the newspaper that fellow local businessman Barry Taniguchi had established five new endowed faculty funds at the university on behalf of KTA Super Stores.

Isemoto said he knew the university’s most important goal in its current Centennial Campaign is to increase the size of its endowment. The generous gift will build an endowment for each of the university’s five degree-granting colleges: Arts and Sciences; Business and Economics; Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management; Hawaiian Language; and Pharmacy.

College deans will have discretion to use the funds for recruitment and retention of faculty.

“This gift will have a transforming impact on UH Hilo because it responds to two of the university’s highest priorities: building our endowment and investing in our faculty,” said Chancellor Tseng.

Founded in 1926, the Isemoto Contracting Company is headed by Larry Isemoto and Leslie Isemoto and regularly appears on Building Industry magazine’s “Top Ten” list in revenue generated by Hawai‘i contractors. The Hilo company has been involved in a number of construction projects over the years on the UH Hilo campus and is currently completing work on the new Student Life Center , set to open this fall.

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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Breaking news in the The Honolulu Advertiser (outside news source determines link expiration).

Gov. Linda Lingle has released $1.2 million for equipment and furniture for a new Science and Technology Building at the University of Hawai‘i-Hilo. The funds will be used to purchase furniture, as well as machine shop, physics, astronomy and chemistry laboratory equipment.

The facilities that currently house UH-Hilo’s science and technology programs were built in the 1950s and 1960s. In addition to being too small, they lack the necessary infrastructure and equipment to support modern science programs. The new building will provide additional classroom and research space, allowing for the expansion of student enrollment in science and technology fields and increased research activity.

“Strengthening education in science and technology is an important part of enhancing the innovation capacity of our residents,” Gov. Lingle said in a news release. “By providing UH-Hilo with modern, cutting-edge facilities for studies in these academic disciplines, more of our students will be prepared to enter professions that will diversify our economy and increase the quality of life for residents on the Big Island and statewide.”

The total project cost for the new Science and Technology Building is $28.5 million, which includes $3.5 million for design and $23.8 million for construction.

Construction is scheduled to begin next month and the project is slated for completion in Jan. 2010.

Chancellor Rose Tseng (left) and UH Hilo Director of Financial Aid Jeff Scofield (right) stand with John & Linda Tolmie, who have established an endowed scholarship at the university. Photo by Walter Dudoit.

Longtime community and UH Hilo supporters Linda and John Tolmie have established a $50,000 endowed scholarship in the names of their parents, John and Mary Tolmie & James and Fulvia Bailey.

The Tolmies, who operate Tolmie Properties Ltd., a commercial real estate firm in Hilo, have lived in Hawai‘i since the mid 1970s and have been active in a number of community organizations. John, a former Marine Corps officer, is a longstanding member of the UH Hilo Chancellor’s Advisory Board. Linda, a former teacher, served as Vice Chair of the UH Hilo Performing Arts Center Advisory Committee from its inception in 2003 until 2007.

“UH Hilo has the highest percentage of students receiving financial aid of any of the 10 campuses in the University of Hawai‘i system,” said Chancellor Rose Tseng. “We would never be able to assist so many students with only government aid at our disposal. We are indebted to the Tolmies for making a critical difference.”

Full story here .

Photo by Marcia Heller.

Chancellor Tseng saddled up yesterday to welcome guests to a fundraiser held at UH Hilo’s Agricultural Farm at Pana‘ewa. “Cowboy Up 2008: A Blue Jeans and Black Tie Barbecue” was held to raise funds to equip the new UH Hilo Equestrian Center with interior panels, pens, bleacher seating and equipment.

Everybody had tons of fun with live country music, great BBQ and auctions.

Plans for the facility include equine and livestock shows, 4-H and other community events.

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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Photo courtesy of UH Hilo.

Front page story in today’s Hawaii Tribune Herald (outside news source determines link expiration).

Summary:

New plans for the China-U.S. Center at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo call for the construction of 200 student apartments — not dormitories — as the first phase of the project.

Plans are for four buildings, each four stories high with about 50 apartments each. The 1,000-square-foot apartments would have three bedrooms, with two students sharing each bedroom, plus a kitchen and living area. Proposed rent is $780 per month per student.

The estimated cost for the four buildings and supporting infrastructure is $71 million.