May 2011
Commencement
This past weekend was a very exciting weekend for the University of Hawai‘i as our campuses and programs statewide celebrated Spring Commencement. We awarded more than 5,000 degrees and certificates this semester. That puts us over 9,200 degrees and certificates awarded this academic year, which is well ahead of our Hawai‘i Graduation Initiative goal.
I had the privilege of attending commencement ceremonies this year at Hawai‘i Community College, UH Hilo, UH Manoa and the John A. Burns School of Medicine. Hawai‘i Community College’s commencement was a special occasion for the campus as they celebrate their 70th anniversary. At UH Hilo, we recognized 84 students who made up the first graduating class of the College of Pharmacy, and 63 new doctors are now in the field after the John A. Burns School of Medicine’s annual convocation ceremony.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie spoke to our advanced degree graduates at UH Manoa and gave a rousing talk on the impact of the University of Hawai‘i to him personally and the important role we will play in the future of Hawai‘i.
Also, I’d like to recognize our University Centers on the neighbor islands for their continued efforts to help make baccalaureate and advanced degrees accessible to our neighbor island residents via distance learning. The UH Center on Maui celebrated its commencement ceremony last week with more than 100 students receiving degrees and certificates from our baccalaureate campuses.
Commencement is a time for us to rejoice in the important student and faculty success that it represents. I extend my congratulations to all our graduates as well as our faculty and staff who support our students every day and help them towards their goal of graduating from the University of Hawai‘i.
University and campus news
- Legislative/budget update
- PACOM agreement
- Skin cancer prevention campaign
- PURE Math initiative
- Net-0 model home
- Kaua‘i scholarships
- MELE award nominees
UH Community Colleges News
Kaua‘i scholarships
At Kaua‘i Community College, 106 island residents have been offered a scholarship that will pay 100 percent of tuition, books and fees to study at the college in the 2011–2012 academic year. More scholarships are projected for the following year.
The scholarships are made available by the Wai‘ale‘ale Project, an extraordinary program funded by a generous donor, which presents Kaua‘i residents (both recent high school graduates and older students) an opportunity to attend college for the first time.
The program provides scholarships and academic support to participants to attain certificates and associates degrees at Kaua‘i Community College or just try taking a few college courses. Forty-one students studied at Kaua‘i as Wai‘ale‘ale scholars in the 2010–2011 pilot program.
