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
Bonnie D. Irwin began serving as chancellor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo on July 1, 2019. Chancellor Irwin previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University (CSU) Monterey Bay.
While at CSU, Irwin served on the Regional Engagement and Research Council of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the Board of Directors of the American Conference of Academic Deans. She is currently a National Collegiate Honors Council Fellow.
Previously, Irwin served as dean of the Honors College, and then dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, at Eastern Illinois University. While there, she also served on the board of the National Collegiate Honors Council, also serving as president of the organization. She started at Eastern Illinois University as a tenure-track professor of English specializing in world literature and folklore before moving into administration.
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 honua ʻōiwi ʻo Hawaiʻi nona ka poʻe ʻōiwi o ka ʻāina, ʻo ia nā kānaka Hawaiʻi. Aia kēia kulanui ma kēia ahupuaʻa ʻo Waiākea, ma ka moku ʻo Hilo. Kū nō ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Hilo i ka hoʻohiki a Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi e hoʻoulu i ke ola o ke kaiāulu ʻōiwi ma o ka hana kālaiʻike ma nā kahua kula he ʻumi o ka ʻōnaehana papahana hoʻōiwi kulanui i kapa ʻia ʻo Hawaiʻi Papa O Ke Ao. He leo aloha kēia i ka poʻe a pau e ʻākoakoa ana i ʻaneʻi.
Aloha mai kākou.
Translation:
On behalf of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, the Office of the Chancellor acknowledges the following:
Hawaiʻi is an indigenous space whose original people are today identified as Native Hawaiians. The university is in the land division called Waiākea, in the district of Hilo. The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo aligns with the University of Hawaiʻi System’s commitment to fostering the wellbeing of indigenous communities through academic processes put into effect with the ten-campus, system-wide transformation called Hawaiʻi Papa O Ke Ao. This land acknowledgement welcomes everyone who gathers here.
Greetings to all.
Staff
Susan Enright , Public Information SpecialistPelehonuamea Harman , Director of Native Hawaiian EngagementLori Hu , Private Secretary to the ChancellorKelli Okumura , Institutional Research AnalystJennifer Stotter , Interim Director of Institutional ResearchXinyan Wang , Administrative and Fiscal Support SpecialistJessica Yamamoto , Interim Executive Assistant to the Chancellor
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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