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UH Hilo Interim Chancellor's Blog Posts

Message from UH President Lassner: Update on UH Hilo Chancellor search

April 24, 2018

The search committee expects to conduct campus visits with finalists at the start of the fall 2018 semester to ensure full campus input before a selection is made.

Dear UH Hilo faculty, staff, students and administrators—

David Lassner
David Lassner

In December 2017, we announced that the search for the next chancellor of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo began. A 16-member search committee was formed comprised of faculty, staff, students and community members and is co-chaired by Farrah-Marie Gomes, UH Hilo vice chancellor for student affairs, and Vassilis Syrmos, UH System vice president for research and innovation.

When we announced the search, we also noted that a professional search firm would be assisting with the process and we were concluding our efforts to competitively select a firm. The updated job announcement was posted in January with review to begin at the end of February. We hoped to expeditiously identify the next chancellor, who will play a critical role in strengthening UH Hilo’s unique position in the state and beyond, with my recommendation to the Board of Regents this summer.

The search committee has been moving the process along to meet this timeline. However, due to unexpected delays, a finalized agreement with the search firm is not yet in place. So as the semester comes to a close, and in consultation with the chairs who have discussed with the search committee, we are backing off this aggressive schedule to ensure that the search firm is onboard and fully engaged in assisting us identify the best possible candidates. We now expect to conduct campus visits with finalists at the start of the fall 2018 semester to ensure full campus input before a selection is made. This will still allow for a new chancellor to start in the spring 2019 time frame.

As our search continues, I appreciate the leadership of Interim Chancellor Sakai during this current academic year. I will also be making a recommendation to the Board of Regents to continue her appointment as interim chancellor until the new chancellor begins.

David Lassner

Hawaiian Healing Arts workshop for faculty and staff, May 3

April 23, 2018

To successfully create a culture of mental and emotional wellness for students on campus, faculty and staff are encouraged to create a culture of emotional wellness for themselves.

Dane  Kaohelani Silva
Dane  Kaohelani Silva

The University of Hawai’i at Hilo Suicide Prevention Committee and Counseling Services invites all faculty and staff to a Lomi Noho  (seated massage) and Hawaiian Healing Arts workshop by Kumu Dane  Kaohelani Silva sponsored by the Chancellor’s Professional Development Fund.

To successfully create a culture of mental and emotional wellness for students on campus, faculty and staff are encouraged to create a culture of emotional wellness for themselves.

DATE: May 3, 2018
TIME: 1:00 to  2:30 p.m.
PLACE: Campus Center, room 306.

This experiential workshop will include instruction on partner lomi noho (seated massage) as well as information about Hawaiian healing arts for self-care. Kumu Dane will introduce three local plants that are used by kanaka maoli (indigenous people) to preserve health and prevent pehupehu (chronic inflammation). They may be applied by participants during this session.

Bio

Kumu Dane Kaohelani Silva was born and raised in Hilo, Hawai’i Island. He grew up in the Hawaiian community of Keaukaha. During his youth, he was trained in healing and martial arts by native experts.

Educated in Hawai’i and the mainland, he completed a long career in academia, military and clinical practice. A leader in the field of integrative healthcare, he continues to promote the practice of  self-care as the foundation for family and community health.

Kumu Dane is currently developing herbal products for self-care and home care. Using medicinal plants from the garden, these oils and creams are designed to offer relief from pain, swelling and loss of function.

Information

For more information or disability accommodation contact Counseling Services.

General info about Counseling Services for staff and faculty.

Reservations

Participation is limited, RSVP online.

Lecture on diversity and multiculturalism by visiting scholar Gary Okihiro, May 2

April 19, 2018

The Chancellor’s Diversity Committee invites the university community and the general public to attend a talk by a nationally acclaimed scholar, founder and teacher of Asian American and comparative ethnic studies.

 

Gary Okihiro
Gary Okihiro

SPEAKER: Gary Y. Okihiro, PhD.
TITLE: “Diversity and its Discontents: How Multiculturalism Failed Us.”
DATE: Wednesday, May 2, 2018.
TIME: 5:00-6:00 p.m.
PLACE: University Classroom Building, room 100, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo (campus map).

Free and open to the UH community and the general public. Light refreshments will be served.

Bio

Gary Y. Okihiro, PhD, is a visiting professor of American Studies at Yale University, a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, and the founding director of Columbia’s Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race. He has taught, directed and developed the comparative ethnic studies programs at Humboldt State University, Santa Clara University, and Cornell University.

Prof. Okihiro is the author of 14 books, and his research focuses on the United States (including Hawaiʻi) southern Africa, Asian studies and world history. He is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Studies Association and Association for Asian American Studies, received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of the Ryukyus (Okinawa), and is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies.

Sponsors

The talk is sponsored by the UH Hilo Chancellor’s Diversity Committee and the Droste Bequest.

Contact

Contact Patsy Iwasaki for more information or auxiliary aids/special accommodations to participate.

Interim dean named for the new College of Natural and Health Sciences

April 13, 2018

Aloha University of Hawai‘i at Hilo ‘Ohana,

Jim Beets
Jim Beets on research expedition.

I am pleased to announce that Jim Beets, professor of marine science and chair of the Division of Natural Sciences, has agreed to serve as the  interim dean of the new College of Natural and Health Sciences (CNHS). His first day will be July 1, 2018, the date that CNHS is formally established. A national search for a permanent dean of CNHS will soon be launched.

Dr. Beets has served as a faculty member in the marine science department since 2004 and been in leadership positions on several collaborative research grants totaling more than $4.4 million and spanning multiple agencies including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. His intellectual contributions include 13 peer reviewed journal publications and peer reviewed technical reports over the past seven years.

Dr. Beets has demonstrated his strong commitment to student mentorship, serving as senior thesis/Marine Options Program project advisor for seven master of science in tropical conservation biology and environmental science students and advising over 20 student projects. He has also demonstrated strong commitment to faculty engagement and faculty governance through his service on numerous campus committees, ranging from personnel review to research and enrollment management. He has served as Faculty Congress representative and chair.

A staunch advocate for the university, he has nurtured positive relationships within the community. Please join me in thanking him for agreeing to serve UH Hilo in this capacity.

Regards,

Marcia Sakai
Interim Chancellor

Tuition waivers available for UH Hilo and RCUH employees to attend professional development courses

April 9, 2018

Waivers, available to employees of UH Hilo and of the Research Corporation of UH, are supported by the Chancellor’s Professional Development Fund.

Courses

UH Hilo seal, red lettering University of Hawaii and the state motto.Business Process Mapping

This course provides strategies and skills to allow leaders to define processes and develop process maps. Organizations often perform recurring tasks, yet fail to document the entire process from beginning to end. Process mapping allows individuals and organizations to understand what the organization does and who performs each action in a visual representation. This workshop provides a hands-on opportunity to learn the basic components, processes, and skills for process mapping. Participants will be prepared with an understanding of process and process map components which can be applied to their organizations.

  • Instructor: Joslyn Sato, PMP, Project Management Institute.
  • Monday, April 30, 2018 (1 class).
  • 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Analyzing Processes to Map Better Outcomes

Building on the Business Process Mapping workshop, learn how to analyze process maps to make effective decisions and identify opportunities for improvement. This workshop provides a hands-on opportunity to learn basic analysis, which leverages basic process mapping concepts and introduces new skills in detailed process mapping, and new components in process analysis.

  • Instructor: Joslyn Sato, PMP, Project Management Institute.
  • Thursday, May 10, 2018 (1 class).
  • 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Creating Effective Customer Relationships Using Social Media

Like it or not, how your company, project, or unit social media online influences customer behavior. How many people do you know with a mobile phone? How many people do you know have Facebook? How many people do you know get up to speed by reading the social media feeds? Social media greatly increases exposure, awareness, accessibility, and overall impact of your organization. Did you know that in a 2016 study by the Pew Research Center, on a total population basis (accounting for Americans who do not use the internet at all), estimated that 68% of all U.S. adults are Facebook users, while 28% use Instagram, 26% use Pinterest, 25% use LinkedIn and 21% use Twitter. The new generation of social media users In a recent social media study by J.D. Power & Associates, 87 percent of satisfied customers said their online interaction with the company “positively impacted” their likelihood of purchase from that company.

  • Instructor: Tom DeWitt, Associate Professor at the UH Hilo College of Business and Economics.
  • Wednesdays, April 11 – May 2, 2018 (4 classes).
  • 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Culture-Based Leadership Development

Authentic leadership begins with an awareness of your own values and cultural norms. Using this awareness as a foundation for your professional practice enables greater authenticity, empowerment, personal and professional satisfaction, and the ability to support these positive outcomes in those you lead. This one-day seminar will help participants to increase their awareness of their own cultural values and norms and apply it directly to leadership and management practices such as time management, resource management, and interpersonal communications. Other topics include; developing your leadership philosophy, strategic planning, employee relations, technology use, and creating community partnerships.

  • Instructor: Mary Therese Perez Hattori, Director of Center for Teaching and Learning, Chaminade University.
  • Tuesday, April 24, 2018 (1 class).
  • 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Manage Yourself, Lead Others

This one-day workshop is essential for those new to a leadership role and for those who are struggling to build cohesive teams. Personal reflection, group exercises, and facilitated dialogue will allow participants to consider real-work challenges in the areas of communication, leading organizational change, and team building.

  • Instructor: Janice Ikeda, Director of Operations Management, Hope Services.
  • Tuesday, April 24, 2018 (1 class).
  • 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

To apply

Tuition waiver applications are available online.

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