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Category: Announcements

Message from the Chancellor: UH Giving Day is on April 8, 2026, “Gifts of all sizes are key to our success”

Published April 1, 2026 by admin

Giving Day for UH April 8 2026. Rainbow design.This message from Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin was shared with the UH Hilo ʻohana via eblast on April 1, 2026.

Aloha kākou,

Portrait of Bonnie Irwin, outdoor setting.
Bonnie D. Irwin

On April 8, our entire University of Hawaiʻi ʻohana will come together for UH Giving Day. For UH Hilo, this 24-hour online fundraising event is a powerful opportunity to celebrate our unique community and invest in the people and programs that make our campus so special.

Giving Day directly supports the future of our university. It provides critical resources that empower our students to succeed, advance our academic and innovative programs, and allow us to respond to urgent needs within our community.

I want to emphasize that the true spirit of Giving Day is about participation. Gifts of all sizes are key to our success. Whether you can give $5 or $500, your contribution matters. When we all pitch in, those individual gifts add up to create an incredible, lasting impact for our students and faculty. Even if you cannot contribute, please promote the opportunity among your social networks so that we can engage our greater community.

This year, we are proud to highlight several UH Hilo featured funds that represent some of our most vital initiatives. I encourage you to explore these funds and find a cause that resonates with your own values: Athletic Programs, ʻImiloa Enrichment Fund, Student Basic Needs Fund, The Bonner Program Student Leadership and many more. If you wish to give early, here are the UH Hilo pages:

As an extra incentive, I have created a challenge gift in addition to my regular gifts: I will give an additional $5,000 (to be divided between Basic Needs and Kuleana & Community) if we get 100 donations across all funds. We also have several other generous donors who are offering matching gifts to make your contributions go further!

  • Dean Rae Matsumoto will match the first $5,000 that comes in for the Daniel K Inouye College of Pharmacy
  • Athletic Director Pat Guillen will match $100/sport for Athletics
  • Director Todd Inouye will match the first $1,000 that comes in for the College of Business and Economics
  • Interim Vice Chancellor Lei Kapono will match the first $1,000 for Student Basic Needs
  • Anonymous donors are providing additional matching funds for Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science and the Kuleana and Community program.

Giving Day is also about connection and campus pride! We will be hosting a tabling activity on campus to celebrate. I warmly invite you to stop by, learn more about the impact of giving and join the fun!

Where: Edwin Mookini Library lānai

When: 10a.m. – 2 p.m.

What: Visit our table and write a mahalo postcard to donors and grab a treat.

Mahalo for your dedication, your generosity and for everything you do to make UH Hilo an extraordinary place to learn and grow.

With gratitude,

Bonnie D. Irwin
Chancellor

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UH Hilo FY2025 Annual Report released

Published October 29, 2025 by admin

Woman in full regalia dances hula at commencement ceremonies.
Candidate dances hula during opening kīpaepae at UH Hilo’s 2024 Fall Commencement. (Photo: Tracey Niimi/TN Photography)

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin is pleased to announce the release of the campus’s 2024-2025 Annual Report.

“The 2024-25 academic year was transformational for the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo,” says Chancellor Irwin in her opening message in the report. “We launched a new integrated strategic plan and an enrollment management plan, we enrolled students in three new programs, and we had another successful grant year. The energy on campus reflected these important milestones, and I am grateful to our campus ʻohana for their many contributions to the success of our university.”

The report highlights student successes in and out of the classroom, new academic programs, the outstanding achievements of faculty and staff, research benefiting island communities and the environment, fundraising to support scholarships and programs, community outreach in myriad ways, alumni doing incredible work locally and beyond, and a campus infrastructure modernizing to support both a vibrant campus life and crucial workforce development.

The report also highlights the work being done to strengthen UH Hilo as a Hawaiian place of learning, reflecting Hawaiʻi, its people, history, cultures, and natural environment, embodying the concept of a Hawaiian university. More Native Hawaiians are in leadership roles, more programs and activities are increasing local and global community engagement to deveop “a Hawaiian sense of place” on campus, and the use of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) and culture is ever increasing though programs of study and informal learning.

Read the full report.

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Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin elected to WASC Senior College and University Commission

Published August 7, 2025 by admin

WSCUC commissioners play a central role in shaping the accreditation agency’s work, setting strategic priorities, establishing standards for institutional quality, and determining accreditation status of member institutions.

Portrait of Bonnie Irwin.
Bonnie D. Irwin

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin has been elected to the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), the regional accrediting agency for colleges and universities in the western United States and the Pacific including UH Hilo.

Irwin is among eight new members welcomed to the commission in July. The new 2025-2026 commissioners are a group of executives with deep experience in academic and student affairs, assessment, finance, policy, law, and other key areas that help drive quality and accountability at WSCUC-accredited institutions.

“I am both honored and humbled to be elected to the WSCUC commission,” says Chancellor Irwin. “I look forward to advancing the standards and values of higher education in this new role and the opportunity it gives me to help other campuses achieve their goals as we continue to pursue our ambitious goals at UH Hilo.”

WSCUC commissioners play a central role in shaping the agency’s work, setting strategic priorities, establishing standards for institutional quality, and determining accreditation status of member institutions through formal actions. Commissioners are elected each spring by the presidents of WSCUC-accredited institutions following a nomination process led by WSCUC’s nominating committee. They serve an initial three-year term and may be reappointed for a second term.

In Irwin’s new role as a WSCUC commissioner, she not only brings her experience as chancellor of UH Hilo and an officer of the UH System since 2019, but also her previous experience in senior academic leadership roles at CSU Monterey Bay and Eastern Illinois University. Chancellor Irwin is active in both local and national organizations, serving on boards focused on economic development, stewardship, public radio, and higher education leadership.

She was recently elected to the Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and will serve as vice president of the board and chair of the chamber’s Committee on Economic Development. She also serves on the boards of the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority, the ʻIole Stewardship Center, and Hawaiʻi Public Radio.

Irwin has served on the Hawaiʻi State and County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Strategic Advisory Committees, and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Regional Engagement and Research Council. She is a fellow of the National Collegiate Honors Council and previously served as president of that organization, as well as a board member and treasurer of the American Conference of Academic Deans.

Irwin earned her bachelor of arts, master of arts, and doctor of philosophy in comparative literature from the University of California, Berkeley.

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Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce welcomes UH Hilo Chancellor Irwin as new board member

Published May 6, 2025 by admin

Group of four stand for photo. Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce logo is in background.
At the Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce annual membership meeting on April 30, from left, County of Hawaiʻi Managing Director Bill Brilhante; UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin; featured speaker at the meeting First Hawaiian Bank Chief Investment Officer Steve Rodgers; and County of Hawaiʻi Mayor Kimo Alameda. (Photo: Courtesy HICC)

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin was elected to the Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors at HICC’s annual membership meeting, April 30. Chancellor Irwin will serve as vice president of the board; the vice president chairs the chamber’s Committee on Economic Development.

“I am excited to serve our community in this new way, and I look forward to strengthened relationships between UH Hilo and our local employers,” says Chancellor Irwin.

Carla Kuo pictured.
Carla Kuo (File photo)

Carla Kuo, executive officer of the chamber says she’s thrilled to welcome Chancellor Irwin as the 2025-2026 vice president and chair of the economic development committee. The committee works to enhance general business on Hawai‘i Island and supports a stable and healthy economy.

“Her deep commitment to education and innovation, along with her insight into our island’s evolving workforce needs, will be a tremendous asset as we work together to support sustainable economic growth in East Hawaiʻi,” says Kuo.

Group photo, seated at luncheon table, other people at event in the background.
At the Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce annual membership meeting on April 30, from left, Grand Naniloa Resort General Manager Niklas Dahm; (standing) First Hawaii Bank General Manager Chuck Erskine; County of Hawaiʻi Director of Finance Diane Nakagawa; County of Hawaiʻi Treasury Division Head Chris Nakano; and UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin. (Photo: Courtesy HICC)
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Message to Faculty and Staff: Annual UH Foundation calling campaign underway

Published September 18, 2024 by admin

Large group of students with the chancellor pose for photo, all throwing the shaka.
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,

Bonnie

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