{"id":87177,"date":"2026-05-27T12:47:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T22:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hilo.hawaii.edu\/chancellor\/stories\/?p=87177"},"modified":"2026-05-27T12:47:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T22:47:04","slug":"nationwide-student-success-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hilo.hawaii.edu\/chancellor\/stories\/2026\/05\/27\/nationwide-student-success-network\/","title":{"rendered":"UH Hilo chosen for nationwide student success network with focus on workforce development"},"content":{"rendered":"

The network\u2019s tailored analysis will examine how UH Hilo\u2019s degree offerings align with employer demand across the island\u2019s healthcare, education, agriculture and sustainability sectors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Group of UH Hilo Class of 2026 graduates, May 16. (Photo via University Relations\/UH Hilo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The University of Hawai\u02bbi at Hilo<\/a> has been selected as one of 17 rural-serving public universities nationwide to join the inaugural Rural Student Success Network. UH Hilo is the only institution from Hawai\u02bbi and the Pacific region named to the cohort.<\/p>\n

The new initiative, led by Ithaka S+R in partnership with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), is aimed at helping more students from rural communities reach graduation.<\/p>\n

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Bonnie D. Irwin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Funded by a two-year grant from the Educational Credit Management Corporation Foundation\u2019s Rural Impact Initiative, the network brings together four-year rural-serving institutions from 12 states committed to strengthening student success and economic mobility in the communities they serve.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery graduate who crossed our stage this month is proof that rural-serving institutions change lives,\u201d says UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin<\/strong><\/a>, referring to the recent 2026 Spring Commencement<\/a> with 589 graduates, including 506 bachelor\u2019s degrees, nearly 200 first-generation college students, and a class spanning ages 19 to 79. \u201cThis network gives us a powerful new chance to learn alongside peer institutions and make sure more of our students get the milestone the Class of 2026 just had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each campus in the network receives a $15,000 subgrant from Ithaka S+R plus customized analyses comparing academic offerings against local workforce demand.<\/p>\n

Three priorities: transfers, adult learners, and workforce needs across the island\u2019s healthcare, education, agriculture and sustainability sectors<\/h2>\n

As part of the program over the next 18 months, UH Hilo will engage in peer learning, data-informed self-assessment and targeted technical assistance across the network\u2019s three priority areas: helping community college transfer students complete their bachelor\u2019s degrees, re-engaging adult learners, and aligning academic programs with regional workforce needs.<\/p>\n

UH Hilo will focus on the transfer and workforce tracks, work that naturally encompasses the adult learners returning to finish a degree they once started. The network\u2019s tailored analysis will examine how UH Hilo\u2019s degree offerings align with employer demand across the island\u2019s healthcare, education, agriculture and sustainability sectors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about strengthening the bridge between a student starting at a UH Community College and one walking across the UH Hilo stage with a bachelor\u2019s degree,\u201d Irwin said. \u201cIt\u2019s about the working parent who left UH Hilo three years ago and is wondering whether they can come back. It\u2019s about making sure the degree we offer is the one our island\u2019s employers are actually hiring for. The work doesn\u2019t change who we are, it sharpens it.\u201d<\/p>\n

-Read full story at UH System News<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Related posts<\/h2>\n

Chancellor Irwin at \u201cAASCU on the Hill,\u201d Washington, DC, speaks with Hawai\u02bbi lawmakers on lost funding impacts<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n