Office of the Chancellor
The Office of the Chancellor works to provide leadership for the immediate operational management and governance of UH Hilo within UH System administrative policy.
On this page:
Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin
Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin, a champion of regional stewardship for comprehensive universities, began her tenure at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo on July 1, 2019. Irwin previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Monterey Bay, and held two dean positions at Eastern Illinois University.
Irwin leads UH Hilo — a Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Serving university with 2,700 students, 660 employees, $85M annual budget, and a 120-acre campus — honing to a primary mission of strengthening the campus in lifting up the region, in this case Hawaiʻi Island.
Among Irwin's top priorities are strengthening campus retention and graduation rates, building diverse teams to discover and implement common goals, and providing support for the university’s faculty and staff.
Irwin received her master of arts in comparative literature and her doctor of philosophy in comparative literature from UC Berkeley.
Chancellor's Websites
Hōʻoia ʻĀina (Land Acknowledgement Statement)
He kalahea kēia a ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Hilo, mai ke Keʻena o ke Poʻo Kulanui:
He ʻelele au na ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Hilo, e hāpai aʻe nei i kēia ʻōlelo Hōʻoia ʻĀina, he honua ʻōiwi ʻo Hawaiʻi nona ka poʻe ʻōiwi o ka ʻāina, ʻo ia nā kānaka Hawaiʻi. Me ke aloha nui au e hāpai nei i kēia Hōʻoia ʻĀina ma ka hoʻokipa ʻana i ka poʻe a pau e kipa mai ana i kēia lā, ma kēia ahupuaʻa ʻo Waiākea, ma ka moku o Hilo. ʻO Hawaiʻi nei nō kēia ʻāina. Welina pumehana kākou. Aloha mai kākou.
Translation:
On behalf of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, the Office of the Chancellor acknowledges the following:
On behalf of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, it is with profound reflection that I offer up this Hōʻoia ʻĀina, Land Acknowledgement, acknowledging Hawaiʻi as an Indigenous space whose original people are today identified as Native Hawaiians. With much aloha, I offer up this Land Acknowledgement in welcome to all gathered this day, in the land division we call Waiākea, in the district of Hilo. This land is Hawaiʻi itself. A warm greeting to all of us. Greetings to all.
Staff
Susan Enright , Public Information SpecialistPelehonuamea Harman , Director of Native Hawaiian EngagementKelli Okumura , Institutional Research AnalystAlana Ortiz , Institutional Research SupportJennifer Stotter , Director of Institutional ResearchXinyan Wang , Administrative and Fiscal Support Specialist
UH Foundation
Siena Mizuno , Associate Director of Development, UH Hilo & Hawaiʻi CC
History of UH Hilo
Summary
- 1941 Hawaiʻi Vocational School is founded, and after several transformations, becomes Hawaiʻi Community College in 1969.
- 1947 The Hilo Program begins, and after several major spurts of growth, becomes the four-year Hilo College in 1969
- 1969 Hilo College is merged with Hawaiʻi Community College, becoming the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
- 1991 UH Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College are separated.
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