Above: Chancellor Bonnie Irwin with Governor David Ige, Hawai‘i State Capitol, July 11, 2019.
A note from the Chancellor about her week:
One of my priorities is to hear about local issues from our elected officials, and I so I spent much of this week listening to senators and representatives about issues important to their districts and the state so that we can work on partnerships and provide more educational opportunities for our students. I was gladdened by the level of support I heard from the island delegation and the governor for the great work we do here at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.
I look forward to the follow up conversations and actions we will share.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Bonnie Irwin
As I finish my first week as chancellor here at UH Hilo, I have been energized by the warm welcome I have received, and the dedication of our staff and faculty to the success of our students and our institution. I am grateful that so many of you were able to attend the kīpaepae for Marcia and me. It certainly was an experience I will never forget. My mother watched it on live stream, too!
I have been spending my first few days in meetings, as this is what chancellors seem to do more than anything else, but I have also been doing a lot of reading—budgets, reports, evaluations, policies, etc. Perhaps the most important document I have been reading is the Pre-planning Evidence Report for a Future UH Hilo Strategic Plan. Mahalo to everyone who participated in the monthly questions, focus groups and other communications with Kathleen over the last few months. The document is a great portrait of our values, our concerns, and our collective hopes and dreams for the future. I encourage you to read all or part of it as you have time in the coming weeks. I look forward to the follow up conversations and actions we will share.
In fall, we will continue building the future of this great university together.
The traditional Kīpaepae Ho‘onoho (welcoming ceremony) was held at the UH Hilo campus this morning for Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin. A Kīpaepae Ho‘oku‘u (releasing ceremony) was also performed for Marcia Sakai, who served as interim chancellor since 2017.
From left, Bonnie Irwin and Marcia Sakai at the traditional Native Hawaiian ceremonies honoring Chancellor Irwin’s arrival and former Interim Chancellor Sakai’s departure.
The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo community welcomed its new chancellor, Bonnie D. Irwin, to her post as leader of the Hawai‘i Island university on July 2 with a traditional Native Hawaiian appointment ceremony. Irwin officially started her new position yesterday.
“I’m very honored to be here and I’m humbled that I was chosen for this position,” Irwin says. “I see great things in the future for Hilo and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
The Kīpaepae Ho‘onoho (welcoming ceremony) was held on the UH Hilo campus with students, faculty, staff, Hawai‘i County Mayor Harry Kim, Chancellor Irwin’s husband and author Ned Huston, and UH President David Lassner in attendance.
“The kind of education that students can get here is amazing,” Lassner says. “And I don’t know that any other campus has as much impact on its island, its people, its community, its families as UH Hilo. So, this was a wonderful day.”
From left: Hawaiʻi Island Mayor Harry Kim, UH President David Lassner, former interim Chancellor Marcia Sakai, Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin and her husband, author Ned Huston. Courtesy photo, click to enlarge.
It is the university’s responsibility to take the lead in stewardship of regional economics, education, and improving the quality of life for all our island citizens and their communities.
By Bonnie D. Irwin
Bonnie D. Irwin
As I begin my tenure as chancellor at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, I find a campus community hard at work preparing to develop a new strategic plan. Through a series of over 40 discussions that began last fall with faculty, staff, students and the local community, information is being gleaned and groundwork laid to produce a collaborative plan to achieve the highest of aspirations.
My favorite definition of leadership is that it is a process of moving an organization from its current reality to its aspirations. My first task at UH Hilo is to listen and learn what the campus and community aspirations are and then focus our energy toward achieving them, all the while making sure we are ambitious enough in those aspirations to really help the island with its needs—economic, educational, and cultural—while also protecting the ‘āina through sustainable activities.
I take this responsibility to heart. I strongly believe in the concept of regional stewardship for comprehensive universities: i.e., that a primary mission of our campus is to lift up the region, in this case Hawai‘i Island. One of the reasons I wanted to come to UH Hilo is because of our unique cultural emphasis in programs and curriculum, notably the acclaimed work being done to revitalize Native Hawaiian language and culture for the benefit of not only Hawai‘i’s indigenous people but also everyone in the state. The future of our university and our local community are inextricably linked.
Let me share some thoughts about where my attention is already focused.
I envision UH Hilo as a gateway for upward mobility. This means educating and preparing our students for meaningful employment that not only brings them a high quality of life but also lifts up their families and communities. One effective way to prepare students for important regional work is to increase student engagement in applied learning and independent research for benefit of the community and the environment; UH Hilo already excels at this in several fields and I would like to explore ways to open up this opportunity to even more students.
Traditionally we think of higher education as preparing young women and men for their future, but national trends are moving toward developing a new higher education model that also meets the needs of non-traditional students returning to finish a degree. This is a challenge facing universities throughout the country and if we want to stay current, we will need to adapt to this emerging trend not only to properly serve our region but also to thrive as an institution of higher education.
Woven into advancing the university to meet the needs of a modern student population is the challenge to improve retention and graduation rates. I support wholeheartedly the current ongoing efforts at UH Hilo to develop best practices to enable students to pursue their aspirations with purpose and confidence through to graduation and beyond, whether the student wishes to further her or his education or launch a meaningful career. I look forward to working with faculty and student affairs professionals to develop and strengthen innovative and effective ways to meet this challenge.
I am pleased to see UH Hilo placing a high importance on practicing, teaching, and researching sustainability and protecting the ‘āina, both on campus and in our island environment. Every student has a role to play—now and in the future—to help heal the emerging environmental crises facing our island, state, and Pacific region, and the university community and our graduates should be leaders and role models in this field.
We cannot achieve our aspirations alone. Building on partnerships with the local community, government agencies, and non-profit organizations, along with strengthening UH Hilo’s relationship with Hawai‘i Community College and partnering more with the Pālamanui campus, are crucial to all our success.
It is the university’s responsibility to take the lead in stewardship of regional economics, education, and improving the quality of life for all our island citizens and their communities. I start my new position as a chancellor ready to listen, learn, and collaborate as we prepare a new strategic plan for the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.
I mua!
Bonnie Irwin
Photo at top by Raiatea Arcuri: UH Hilo main entrance at West Kāwili Street.
Our successes are largely due to our talented faculty, staff and students who make UH Hilo a remarkable place of knowledge and learning.
Aloha UH Hilo ‘Ohana,
Marcia Sakai
When I began my tenure as the Interim Chancellor for UH Hilo, one of my goals was to create a comprehensive report that highlights the accomplishments of our campus. I am pleased to share with you the UH Hilo 2018-2019 Annual Report.
Our successes are largely due to our talented faculty, staff and students who make UH Hilo a remarkable place of knowledge and learning.
