Connecting Learning, Life and Aloha
‘O ka ‘imi na‘auao, ke ola a me ke aloha kā kākou e huliāmahi ai

UH Hilo Strategic Planning

Meeting Notes - June 16, 2020

Relationships Committee Meeting: Tuesday, June 16 at 1:00pm

The purpose of this first committee meeting was to begin building relationships among ourselves and building an understanding of this shared undertaking that will result in a wider network of people focused on transformative relationships at UH Hilo. We began creating a safe space of trust and mutual respect where all members fully participate, feel comfortable taking risks in sharing ideas, and engage in deep focused conversations. Through this effort, we seek to create ideas that transform UH Hilo’s relationships with our students, faculty and staff, the families of our students, alums, community members, research and business partners, and others.

In the first meeting, the team was charged to action by Chancellor Irwin. We then began the committee conversation by tackling this questions: What might the University look like if UH Hilo’s relationships were healthy and productive?

Based on the discussion, a list of bullet points was created. Each is formatted as a question, below, so that committee members might reach out to their networks to frame appreciative questions and have meaningful conversations about building UH Hilo's relationships.

  • Is the Pacific States Biennial North American exhibition (38 years of success) with modules that bridge into the community a model from which to learn?
  • Might UH Hilo serve as a gathering space, a place to learn, a problem-solving center where important dialogues take place?
  • Might we identify pockets of excellence at UH Hilo where relationships are strong to see if those models might scale up or be applicable to other areas?
  • How might we develop programs built on engaged teaching and research with strong ties to our land grant mission and a commitment to the public good that provide a meaningful student experience going well beyond the traditional lecture-style featuring more innovative and engaging methods?
  • How might we build UH Hilo's visibility, with the people of our campus, including our leadership, recognized as engaged and active members of our community?
  • How might we develop a strong identity for UH Hilo and the ability to articulate who we are?
  • What impact would we see if each student had a mentor and we clearly defined and distinct roles and expectations for faculty mentors and academic advisors?
  • What are innovative ways to bring people to campus - like a behind-the-scenes experience during dress rehearsals for arts and cultural events? What opportunities exist that do not require buying a ticket?
  • How might we best connect with youth so they feel a strong bond with UH Hilo early in their academic career?
  • How might we best connect with alumni so they feel a strong bond with UH Hilo as their University?
  • Can we better define the role of UH Hilo and the scope of that role in relationship to the community? Could we be a resource for agencies or groups in the community that may need a space to meet? Or, might we partner on projects or events?
  • How might we create a more vibrant campus, especially after 4:00pm when our buildings and spaces seem to go dark?
  • What would be the impact if we built a "front door" for campus with other friendly entry points depending on the needs/requests/questions?

Action Plan: Each committee member will reach out to their networks to explore the topics that are a fit with people they know and have conversations with those who might bring new perspectives and ideas to the conversation.