Statement by Peter Englert

New Beginnings

My term as the first Chancellor of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa after a break of almost twenty years will end with the completion of my third year in office. I end my term with pride in what my management team and I have been able to accomplish, but with recognition that there is much unfinished business. Key accomplishments during my tenure as Chancellor have included (1) improvements in the quality of teaching and research, (2) uncompromising support for existing areas of excellence, (3) encouragement and investment to achieve excellence in other strategic areas, (4) outlining and promoting a vision for UHM as one of the leading research institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. In short, I have worked hard and with considerable success for the advancement of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.My return to the faculty will open up new avenues for me to support the University, to focus on my Mars Odyssey research with NASA, and to prepare for other leadership roles.Facilitating change at University of Hawaiʻi is, as some say, "possibly the toughest job west of the Mississippi." During my three years service as Chancellor, we achieved a great deal of change through new initiatives and restructuring efforts. The opportunities for leadership of a growing research campus took place against a backdrop of dramatic changes in system leadership, governance, and political circumstances.Among the key achievements during my three-year period as Chancellor, from 2002 to 2005 are:*Growth of enrollment from around 17,000 to more than 20,000 students, while maintaining teaching quality and increasing class offerings without any increase in state funding;

*Continued growth in external research funding from less than $200 million dollars to over $325 million dollars annually; internal investment in major research initiatives in biotechnology, high technology, astronomy, and earth and ocean sciences; an increase in private fund raising from about $15 million dollars to over $25 million dollars per year for the Mānoa campus;

*Key recruitment of top level appointments at the level of vice chancellors and deans, including Walter Jamieson, School of Travel Industry Management, from the University of Calgary; Aviam Soifer, William S. Richardson School of Law, from Boston College; Neal Smatresk, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, from the University of Texas at Arlington; Vance Roley, College of Business Administration, from the University of Washington; and Gary Ostrander, Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, from Johns Hopkins University; as well as vital appointments in leadership positions in Nursing, Social Work and other departments and divisions.

*Repositioning Mānoa as a key player in global higher education through new strategic partnerships. We now offer diverse new experiences for local and non-resident students, improved cultural knowledge, respect, and revenues through international outreach programs, and unique opportunities for international cooperation in teaching and research. To that end, I was elected to be a Board Member of the International Association of Universities (IAU) and have been an active participant in the American Council on Education‘s (ACE) International Education Commission.

*Successful implementation of the key strategic goal of transforming the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to a "Hawaiian Place of Learning." This included substantial growth of Hawaiian Language and Hawaiian Studies programs; the establishment of Hawaiian Language and Hawaiian Studies graduate degrees; the development of a leadership role for the Kūali'i Council; and imbedding Hawaiian values across the curriculum.

*Development of a new and efficient structure for the management and operation of the Mānoa campus, as well as a new image of a unified and coherent research campus. There is now greater cooperation and coordination across campus to achieve campus priorities and much-improved processes for financial accountability, transparency, and allocation of government and other funds in line with campus priorities.

When I became Chancellor, I made it clear that I relished the challenge of moving the Mānoa campus closer to the stature that the people of Hawaiʻi expect and deserve. The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has enormous potential to be a major player in the Asia-Pacific region. To achieve the status the University deserves, Mānoa will have to continue along the difficult path my colleagues and I set it upon, transforming itself into a unified campus that pursues its strategic goals in a transparent, efficient, and rational manner.