Chancellor Irwin (center) meets with student fundraisers on Sept. 16, 2024, at the Student Calling Center in Honolulu. (Photo by Ty Yamaguchi/UH Foundation)
This message was sent to UH Hilo faculty and staff via eblast on Sept. 18, 2024.
Aloha kākou,
We are excited to announce that the UH Foundation Fundraising Calling Drive is currently in progress.
After spending time with the student fundraisers, I was impressed by the students’ enthusiasm and interest in UH Hilo. It’s clear that their dedication and enthusiasm will make a meaningful impact. They will represent our campus well with donors and alumni.
If you receive inquiries regarding the nature of these calls, please know that they typically begin with a brief update on contact information before transitioning into the fundraising appeal.
Should you have any questions or need further clarification, please feel free to reach out.
Mahalo for the many ways you support our university, our community, and especially our students,
Chancellor Bonnie Irwin (left) at the Sept. 6 “Kuleana and Community Weekly Talk Story” featuring Gerald DeMello (right), former director of UH Hilo’s university relations and external affairs now retired, who talked about his advocacy for showcasing Hawaiʻi history via plaques, wall murals, and walking tours in Hilo and the former plantation town of Honokaʻa. (Courtesy photo)
The Office of the Chancellor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is co-sponsoring a series of weekly gatherings where students, faculty, staff, university retirees, and members of the local community get together in a safe and welcoming environment to share their thoughts around a common topic.
Colby Miyose
The goal of the series, named Kuleana and Community Weekly Talk Story: Building Community Through Conversation, is to strengthen the university’s connections to the local community through conversation. Topics cover Maunakea stewardship, mental health, better communication, houselessness in Hawaiʻi, entrepreneurship, and more. Following a short talk by a featured guest, attendees break out into discussion groups and then share their manaʻo with everyone.
The program launched Aug. 30 with Assistant Professor of Communication Colby Miyose, a co-organizer of the weekly events, who shared his thoughts on “Communicating with Empathy.”
On Friday, the second of the series featured Gerald DeMello, former director of UH Hilo’s university relations and external affairs now retired, who talked about his advocacy for showcasing Hawaiʻi history via plaques, wall murals, and walking tours in Hilo and the former plantation town of Honokaʻa.
Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin
“The topic of preserving our local history was something every person in the audience could relate to,” says Chancellor Bonnie Irwin who attended the event. “Gerald DeMello is such an engaging speaker and deeply committed to preserving our local history.”
Schedule of upcoming talk-story events
The talk story events take place on Fridays, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. at the Kilohana Academic Success Center, which is located on the first floor of Edwin Mookini Library. All members of the university community and the general public are invited. Light refreshments are served.
Upcoming talk story events this fall through November 15:
Sept. 13: Charmaine Higa, “Small Shoulders, Big Worries: Understanding Childhood Anxiety in a Post-Pandemic World”
Sept. 20: Randy Kurohara, “Our Responsibility for Health”
Sept. 27: Clifton Sankofa, “Reclaiming Health Through Food”
Oct. 4: Kaleo Pilago, Maunakea Stewardship
Oct. 11: Beverly Tese, Prizma Hawaiʻi LGBTQ Center
Oct. 18: Carla Kuo, Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce
Oct. 25: Brandee Menino, Hope Services
Nov. 1: Mike Miyahira, UH Regent and business owner
Nov. 8: Julie Mitchell, Kuikahi Mediation Center
Nov. 15: Sue Lee Loy, Hawaiʻi County Council Member
Sponsors
Carolina Lam
The Kuleana and Community Weekly Talk Story events are sponsored by the UH Hilo Office of the Chancellor, Kīpuka Native Hawaiian Student Center, Kilohana Academic Success Center, Center for Global Education and Exchange, with support from Assistant Professor of Communication Colby Miyose and Associate Professor of Sociology Alton Okinaka.
“This series is about more than just conversation, it’s about building relationships and expanding our understanding of the world,” says Carolina Lam from the Center for Global Education and Exchange. “Through these talks, we hope to create a community that learns from one another and encourages curiosity about life beyond our island’s boundaries.”
Chancellor Irwin sent this announcement via email to the UH Hilo community on May 31, 2024. It is published here on Chancellor’s Blog following Pele Harman’s appointment confirmation this week by the UH Board of Regents and UH President David Lassner.
Aloha kākou,
It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Pelehonuamea Harman as UH Hilo’s inaugural Director of Native Hawaiian Engagement, pending notice on the June 6, 2024, Board of Regents Agenda and approval by President Lassner. Ms. Harman is scheduled to start in this role, which is of strategic importance to our university, on July 1, 2024, and we are confident in her ability to lead in this crucial area.
Ms. Harman brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the position, given her two-plus decades of experience in the Hawaiian Immersion Education context, teaching learners of all ages in UH Hilo’s own K-12 laboratory school of Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu through to our Kahuawaiola Teacher Education program of Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani (KHʻUoK). She is also a proud alumna of UH Hilo, having graduated from KHʻUoK with her BA in Hawaiian Studies, Teaching Certificate from Kahuawaiola, and Master’s in Hawaiian Language and Literature.
As a haumana ʻuniki of Kimo Alama Keaulana, Pelehuonuamea – alongside her kāne Kekoa Harman – is a Kumu Hula of Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo, one of Hawaiʻi mokupuni’s hālau hula focused on raising new generations grounded in the practices of hula from a strong foundation of Hawaiian language fluency.
We are deeply honored and grateful to have Ms. Harman return to our UH Hilo ʻohana. Her acceptance of this role and her willingness to share her rich lineage of Hawaiian language and cultural knowledge as a moʻopuna kuakahi (great-granddaughter) of Mary Kawena Pukui, one of the University of Hawaiʻi’s most esteemed scholars of Hawaiian knowledge, is a testament to her commitment to our shared journey of reclaiming this ʻike in our endeavors moving forward as a university.
Pelehonuamea joins the growing Hawaiʻi Papa o Ke Ao team being established throughout our University of Hawaiʻi campuses that will be working in concert to develop, implement, and assess strategic actions to make the University of Hawaiʻi a leader in indigenous education.
This message was shared with the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo ‘ohana on April 9, 2024.
Aloha,
Wednesday, April 10 is UH Giving Day!
Once again, we are featuring the UH Hilo Student Crisis Fund, and I am matching the first $2,000 that is donated. Participation is the goal here, so please consider giving if you can.
If you would like to donate to another fund at UH Hilo, please consider doing it tomorrow, so that we track our progress. You can browse the other funds here.
Help me spread the word through your networks and friends, so that we can support our students and programs.
“My dream for UH Hilo is that every student will be able to do something meaningful outside of class, whether it is research, studying abroad, an internship, or community service,” says Irwin. “A student told me that studying abroad at another university opened a door of opportunity she did not even know was there. This is what I see happening at UH Hilo.”
Access to these opportunities for as many students as possible is a high priority for UH Hilo. Behind every support fund or scholarship is a person or company committed to making higher education available to all students, Irwin says.
“Members of the local community who give their support to UH Hilo see it as an investment in the future.”
Building bonds
Irwin recounts how a past experience served as the inspiration behind the creation of the fund. Reflecting on her time at another university, she vividly recalls accompanying 17 students and four faculty members to a conference, traveling across many states by plane and car, and having their meals together.
“The rapport we established among the students and with their faculty created lasting memories and instilled in the students confidence in what they learned,” says Chancellor Irwin. “I still tell stories from that trip, and I am still in touch with those students, watching them grow in their careers. I want students and faculty at UH Hilo to have these same experiences, assuring students that they are ready to join the leagues of professionals in their fields.”
A vision for changed lives and transformed communities
Increased student engagement in research, guided by the exceptional faculty at UH Hilo, is expected to result in a higher number of graduates pursuing post-baccalaureate degrees. Irwin hopes this long-term vision will change lives and the Hawaiʻi Island community.
“Some students have the resources and knowledge to seek opportunities, but others find them beyond their reach…and I think funds like the one I am establishing help create more of these opportunities. UH Hilo is a hidden gem, a place where cool things are happening all the time. Our challenge is to make more people aware of our excellence, our dedication, and our aloha,” Irwin says.
