To reserve your free ticket(s)*, please
RSVP by August 8, 2011.
Ever wonder what happened to your classmates from UH Hilo?
Wondering what’s new with your alma mater?
Join us for a talk story session with our new UH Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney.
Reconnect with fellow alumni and hear an update on the latest at UH Hilo.
Enjoy an evening of heavy pūpū and no-host cocktails.
To RSVP or for more information, call the
UH Hilo Marketing & Alumni Office at (808) 974-7501/7643 hilo.hawaii.edu/alumni
UH Hilo’s North Hawai‘i Education and Research Center in Honoka‘a now offers Hamakua residents access to 38 state agencies.
Hamakua celebrates the launch of new rural outreach services now available at UH Hilo’s North Hawai‘i Education and Research Center in Honoka‘a.
HONOKA‘A – Hamakua residents will now receive state outreach services from 38 agencies through a new project located at UH Hilo’s North Hawai‘i Education and Research Center in Honoka‘a. The community gathered on Thursday to celebrate the launch of the new project. The Rural Outreach Services initiative is a partnership between federal, state, county governments, and private non-profit agencies. The wide range of services include, among other issues, job training, health care, housing, and agriculture.
“Rural Outreach Services is an initiative that will turn lives around,” said Rep. Mark Nakashima, a member of the initiative’s coordinating committee, who also sits on the advisory board for NHERC. “Because of the long distances that people need to travel on the Big Island, many residents have not been getting the services they need, whether it is job-related, housing, or even health care.”
The Rural Outreach Services initiative is a public-private partnership of agencies supported by the DLIR Workforce Development Division, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Hamakua Partners in Eldercare, Hawai‘i County’s Kapulena Lands project, and the Department of Education’s East and West Hawai’i Community School for Adults.
“We are creating an opportunity to better serve the rural communities of North Hawai‘i, which will be a model for other rural areas across the state,” said DLIR Director Dwight Takamine, also a member of the coordinating committee for Rural Outreach Services. “This is a truly community-driven effort to address barriers to services by empowering rural communities.”
Services will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis, with no appointments necessary.
During the month of July, one agency will be available at the center on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Agency availability will increase beginning August. For more information and a schedule of upcoming services, workshops and conferences, contact the North Hawai‘i Education and Research Center at 775-8890. A calendar of events is posted at: http://goo.gl/fS9T3.
The first workshop on entrepreneurial opportunities will take place at the center on July 27, 2011. It is being provided by Hawai‘i County’s Department of Research and Development and the Small Business Development Center West Hawai‘i and will include one-on-one consultations on-site.
The following agencies are participants in the Rural Outreach Services initiative at UH Hilo’s outreach center in Honoka‘a:
Arc of Hilo
Arc of Kona
Catholic Charities
Center for Agricultural Success
County of Hawai‘i—Aging & Disability Resource Center
County of Hawai‘i—Coordinated Services for the Elderly
County of Hawai‘i—Office of Housing & Community Development
County of Hawai‘i—Human Resources
County of Hawai‘i—Research & Development
Department of Defense (Hawai‘i), Office of Veterans Services
Department of Education, Hilo & Kona Community School for Adults
Department of Labor & Industrial Relations—Disability Compensation Division, Hawai‘i District Office, Unemployment Insurance Division, Workforce Development Division, Wage Standards Division, Occupational Safety & Health Division, Veteran Employment & Training Service
Department of Human Services, Vocational Rehabilitation Division
Hawai‘i Center for Independent Living
Hawai‘i Community College, Office of Continuing Education & Training
Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council
Hawai‘i Island Beacon Community
Hawai‘i Disability Rights Center
Hawai‘i First Federal Credit Union
Hawai‘i Home Ownership Center
Hawai‘i Island Adult Care, Inc.
Hawai‘i Island Workforce & Economic Development Ohana
Hawai‘i Small Business Development Center
Hope Services of Hawai’i
Five Mountains Hawai’i
North Hawai‘i Drug Free Coalition
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, North Hawai’i Education & Research Center
Big Island Video News reports “80 new doctors of pharmacy were unleashed into the world in Hilo on Saturday… an historic first for the University of Hawaii-Hilo’s College of Pharmacy.”
Keiki Kawai‘ae‘a received the 2011 Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi Award for Excellence in Innovation. (l-r) Barry Taniguchi, nominator Alohalani Housman, honoree Keiki Kawai‘ae‘a, and UH Hilo Chancellor Don Straney.
Remarks by UH Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney 2011 UH Hilo Awards and Recognition Celebration May 3, 2011 Campus Center Plaza
Aloha and Welcome to the UH Hilo Awards and Recognition Ceremony.
As we gather to recognize our honorees, I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize and say “thank you” to all of you. It has been almost a year since I first arrived at UH Hilo, and it’s been an extraordinary learning experience. I’ve found a good deal to admire about our faculty and staff and our entire university community. Your dedication contributes greatly to our success and it’s been an absolute pleasure working with you to move UH Hilo forward.
Today, we’ll recognize our recent retirees, our faculty and staff years of service, and we’ll also announce the winners of this year’s UH Hilo Awards. Before we start with our ceremonies, I’d like to briefly update you on a few things.
Strategic Plan
The strategic planning process is drawing to a close, and we currently have a draft plan that is widely supported on campus. I’d like to thank everyone for your participation. By the end of spring semester we should be distributing the working draft. Next year, we’ll be using it to adjust the course of our university through implementation.
New Scholarship Program
Planning is underway for a very exciting new development: the launch of an ambitious new scholarship program at UH Hilo one year from now. Details are still being worked out, so I am not at liberty to reveal the donors. Funding 4-year scholarships for ten entering students beginning with the 2012-13 academic year. Scholarships are reserved Big Island high school graduates who have limited financial resources and are first in their families to attend college. Ten scholars will start UH Hilo in 2012, with ten more added each year until program reaches 40 participants annually. Just as exciting, each cohort of students will receive specialized support services and the opportunity to participate in four summers of uniquely designed programming here on the Big Island and elsewhere. Our own faculty and staff will be involved in the delivery of these programs and services.
Budget
As you know, the current fiscal situation in the state presents a challenge to implementing the changes the campus would like to see. The budget challenge is statewide: state government needs to make up a $1.3 billion shortfall in the next biennium. UH Hilo has already taken a 24.5% reduction in general funds over the last three years. Last week we learned how we fared in the legislature for CIP. We got 50% funding for student housing ($16 million) and permission to get the other 50% from revenue bonds. The legislature is also giving us $4 million towards the renovations and addition to Hale Kanilehua to accommodate living/learning centers. Please join us for the all-campus meeting on the budget set for Thurs., May 5 at 11:30am in Wentworth 1.
Graduation Initiative
We’re confident UH Hilo will exceed this year’s graduation targets set for us by the UH System.
Display table of koa bowls and lei given to honorees at UH Hilo’s 2011 Awards and Recognition Celebration held May 3 at the Campus Center Plaza.
Dr. Hank C.K. Wuh, a Honolulu entrepreneur and leader in Hawaiʻi’s biotechnology field, will deliver the keynote address.
Entrepreneur Hank C.K. Wuh, MD, will keynote UH Hilo's spring commencement.
The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo College of Pharmacy will award its first doctor of pharmacy degrees at spring commencement on Saturday.
Dean John Pezzuto describes the class of 2011 as “dynamic and self-driven pioneers.” He said their graduation will clearly be marked as one of the most joyous days in the institution’s history.
“Every student pharmacist in our college is extraordinary, otherwise they would not be members of our program. And this first graduating class has set the bar amazingly high for future classes to match their scholarship, leadership and citizenship,” Pezzuto said. “They embraced their role as eldest among our student `ohana with zeal and passion. As their dean I am proud and humbled.”
Dr. Hank C.K. Wuh, a Honolulu entrepreneur and leader in Hawaiʻi’s biotechnology field, delivers the keynote address. An orthopedic surgeon and inventor, Wuh has led the development of over 20 biomedical and consumer healthcare products from concept to global commercialization.
Valerie Dionne, who receives bachelor of arts degrees in political science and administration of justice, serves as student speaker. A native of Arkansas, she has maintained a 3.91 GPA since leaving her job at the Hawaiʻi Government Employees Association to enroll at UH Hilo in 2008.
A member of the National Political Science Honor Society Pi Sigma Alpha, Dionne was named the UH Hilo Chapter’s Most Outstanding Student for the 2010-2011 school year. She has made the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s List each semester and is the recipient of numerous scholarships. She is active in campus and community activities and will attend the William S. Richardson School of Law at UH Mānoa in fall 2011.
Commencement, to be held this Saturday, May 14, at Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium, begins at 9:00 a.m.
