Aloha,

Yesterday I informed the UH Board of Regents that I am stepping down as chancellor on Dec. 31, 2009.

My years at UH Hilo have been some of the best of my life and very rewarding. Soon I will commence on my next phase of intellectual stimulation working on projects in which I am personally interested.

A lot has been accomplished during the 10 years I have been chancellor. With everyone working together, we have increased enrollment, built new facilities, started new degree programs, increased grants, and increased global recognition of UH Hilo.

We moved together in the same direction and overcame many obstacles to take advantage of many opportunities. Now that UH Hilo has permanent deans and vice chancellors, I feel it’s in a good position to keep the momentum going.

December 2009 is 19 months from now and should give the university enough time to plan and strategize. Our momentum has been so positive that I’m confident UH Hilo will attract excellent candidates to be its next chancellor. I’ll be in contact with President McClain about initiating a search with broad participation from the UH Hilo campus and the community.

I look forward to working with all of you in the months ahead to continue our string of accomplishments. Together we make great things happen!

Mahalo for all your support,

Rose

Chancellor to leave post, but not university, in 18 months

by John Burnett

Hawaii Tribune-Herald

University of Hawaii at Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng will step down from the top post in December 2009 under an agreement struck Thursday with the UH Board of Regents in Honolulu.

“I will be returning, just not as chancellor,” Tseng told the Tribune-Herald Thursday night.

Tseng, who has been UHH chancellor since 1998, was given a “special salary adjustment” — an unspecified raise — retroactive to July 1, 2007 during the closed meeting. She was also granted a one-year “professional improvement” leave starting Jan. 1, 2010. In addition, Tseng had requested a waiver of return service obligation, which would have allowed her to retire from the university. She said the regents declined that request.

“Some people think that’s a special favor,” Tseng said. “The reason (UH President David McClain) and I requested that is because we believe that -people’s return is not always the best for the university — when high-level people return to teach or return to whatever when they are no longer chancellor.”

Tseng, who is in her mid-60s, is also a full professor at UHH and has a Ph.D. in nutritional science with minors in biochemistry and physiology from the University of California at Berkeley. She said it has not been decided in what capacity she will serve at the end of her sabbatical.

“It will probably be in some executive position,” Tseng said, but did not rule out a return to the classroom. “I was a very good teacher,” she said, adding, “I don’t mind returning. Later we will discuss what I will return to do.”

She made no bones about her original intention, however, stating, “I was going to retire, but they didn’t approve it.” Tseng says she does not know how much longer she must serve before she could retire with benefits.

“I was thinking it would be a clean cut, and it would be better for the university if the high-level executives (were to) just leave at the end. But the BOR for the faculty says ‘if you take a leave, you shall come back for service.’ So they wanted to apply that for the executives, too.

“That’s OK. It doesn’t hurt me.”

Tseng, born in Northern China and raised in Taiwan, has held the position longer than any other chancellor in the school’s history.

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Chancellor Tseng announced yesterday she’s stepping down on Dec. 31, 2009. She will then take a year’s leave in 2010, and return to UH Hilo in 2011 in a position not yet determined.

Story in today’s Star Bulletin here.

Chancellor Tseng was among the honorees as the Lamda Psi Chapter of Delta Sigma Pi, the nation’s most prestigious business fraternity, held its 19th Annual Initiation and Recognition Banquet earlier this month at UH Hilo.

The chancellor and Mitzi Hennessey, secretary to the dean at the College of Business and Economics, were honored with the 2008 Hall of Fame Award for dedication to the chapter and service to the university and Hilo communities.

Carole Miura, emerita professor of mathematics, was presented the 2008 Outstanding Professor of the Year Award. Professor Miura retired this spring after 35 years of teaching business mathematics. She was UH Hilo’s first director of institutional research and was responsible for installing the university’s first four-year student tracking system.

Neil Nakaza was recognized with the Hawai‘i Alumni Chapter’s Outstanding Alumni Award by President Karolina Siriah for his continual support of the chapter by attending all of its fundraising and social events.

Lambda Psi also welcomed its newest faculty initiate, Kimberly Furumo, into the chapter. Furumo is a professor of management information systems at the business college.

Untying the maile at the blessing and grand opening of the first part of Phase Two at UH Hilo’s North Hawaii Education and Research Center in Honoka‘a is (left to right) UH Regent Marlene Hapai, student Winona Chen, State Representative Dwight Takamine, UHH director of University Relations Gerald DeMello, Chancellor Tseng, and interim director of the center Farrah-Marie Gomes. Photo courtesy of NHERC.

KGMB9 News - news@kgmb9.com

A blessing ceremony was held [May 22] for the first of two Phase II improvements at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo’s North Hawai‘i Education and Research Center (NHERC).

The center, located in the old Honoka‘a hospital, serves as UH Hilo’s outreach center for the North Hawai‘i region stretching from Laupahoehoe through the Hamakua Coast to Kohala and Waikoloa.

Since opening two years ago, NHERC has become a valuable community resource and gathering place by offering introductory college courses, a wide variety of specialty classes sponsored by the Osher Life Long Learning Center, a speaker’s series, and hosting various special events, programs and conferences.

UH Hilo is one of the proud sponsors of a new interactive Internet-based television network recently launched with nine “channels” featuring Hawai‘i news, entertainment, original programming, vintage television, sports, travel information, educational and public service programs, all provided free to the public.

PacificNetwork.tv, with the tag line “The Native Hawaiian Portal to the World,” is described on its website as being a TV network. “We provide news and movies so we feel like TV,” it says on the site’s About Us page. “We also offer articles and radio programs and some of our original shows feature interactivity.”

The National Science Foundation’s Hawai‘i Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), a statewide science and technology program initiated at UH Hilo, is proud to be a part of Pacific Network through the sponsorship of several short video pieces and video news releases on the site. The videos can be found throughout the site, particularly in the “Science and Environment” and “In the Classroom” categories.

Look for the PRISM movie featuring UH Hilo biology professor and co-director of Hawai‘i EPSCoR Don Price (at left) and others, including one about the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, and another about coqui frogs. UH Hilo’s ‘Imiloa Astronomy Education Center is also featured.

Pacific Network is run by local video & film producers, writers, filmmakers, web designers, artists, and journalists. The News Desk reporters are Native Hawaiian. Everyone on staff has a connection to Hawai‘i. The founding underwriter is the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

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.

[6/3/08 UPDATE: Groundbreaking for China-US Center originally scheduled for June 26 is rescheduled to the fall when students return to campus and can take part in ceremony.]

When fully completed, the China-US Center will house a conference center, hotel, student dormitory, and various student- and university-related commercial services. Rendering courtesy UH Hilo.

Reported in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald (outside news source determines link expiration).

by Bret Yager

The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is ready to break ground for the new China-U.S. Center, a project aimed at easing the current student housing crunch.

Developer Bridgecreek International and the university plan to have the 300-student apartment building — the first of four — ready in time for fall classes in 2009.

A Native Hawaiian blessing will be part of the groundbreaking ceremony, set for 10 a.m. on June 26.

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Chancellor Rose Tseng (at left) stands with Commencement keynote Constance Lau, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric. Spring Commencement was held on Saturday.

Reported by Ken Hupp on KPUA.net

The president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric Industries called on UH Hilo graduates to treat their degrees like an investment by contributing to their body of knowledge and expertise. During spring commencement ceremonies at Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium, Constance “Connie” Lau told the class of 2008 that the education they’ve received can be the gift that keeps giving if they understand that learning is a lifetime proposition.

“Your diploma represents the knowledge of how to create value. And it is a priceless gift that can keep on giving for the rest of your lives,” Lau said. “It is like that old saying when you give a man a fish he can feed his family. But if you teach a man or woman to fish, they can feed a village.”

Lau attributed her success in Hawai‘i’s corporate community to the education she received.

A total of 448 students representing the College of Arts and Sciences; College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management; College of Hawaiian Language; and College of Business and Economics were candidates for various degrees or certificates.

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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