UH Hilo 2019-2020 Annual Report released

Posted on July 1, 2020December 11, 2025 by Staff

Even with arrival of the coronavirus disruption and the development of a “new normal,” the university had an immensely successful 2019-2020 academic year, filled with accomplishments, accolades, milestones, and celebrations.

Large group of students, faculty and staff celebrating award. — Current interns, mentors, alumni, and staff from the Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science, known as PIPES, celebrate winning the Outstanding Leadership Award at the 26th Annual Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference held in Honolulu, July 10, 2019. Courtesy photo from PIPES/UH Hilo.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo released today the campus’s 2019-2020 Annual Report.

Fiscal year 2019-2020 will forever be remembered as the year the pandemic arrived. In mid-March 2020, faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo moved quickly over spring break to switch their classes to online delivery for the remainder of the semester. The campus was soon shut, closed to the public, with only essential university workers reporting for work on campus.

The main goal of the university community was to help students successfully complete the semester, especially graduating seniors—and all expectations were met. The university celebrated 2020 Spring Commencement with a virtual ceremony video filled with over 730 submissions from students, faculty, and staff, and congratulatory messages from Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin and the deans of each college.

But even with arrival of the covid disruption and the development of a “new normal,” the university had an immensely successful year, filled with accomplishments, accolades, milestones, and celebrations. A sampling:

ADMINISTRATION: UH Hilo welcomes Chancellor Irwin to UH Hilo on July 1, 2019. In her first monthly column, Chancellor Irwin shares her vision for the university
ALUMNI: Astronomy alumnus Theodore Pruyne discovers second closest object on record to graze by Earth.
CAMPUS LIFE: U.S. News and World Report ranks UH Hilo as most ethnically diverse campus among national universities.
OUTREACH: A newly discovered quasar is given a Hawaiian name through ʻImiloa Astronomy Center naming program.
ACHIEVEMENTS: Geographer Ryan Perroy wins $70k prize for his innovative use of drones in his research on Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death.
INFRASTRUCTURE: The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy new building is completed; dedication is held Dec. 2019.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: Outreach is conducted through the Office of Equal Opportunity that promotes diversity, non-discrimination, and a safe campus.
RESEARCH: Scientists document how rainfall brings harmful bacteria into Hilo Bay.
STUDENTS: The Hawaiʻi State Science and Engineering Fair goes virtual with web platform co-founded by student George Donev.