UH Board of Regents approves establishment of Hawaiinuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at UH Manoa

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Gregg Takayama, (808) 382-3212
Office of the Chancellor
Posted: May 18, 2007

KAPOLEI, Oʻahu — At its monthly meeting held this week, the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents approved the establishment of the Hawai'inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at the UH Mānoa campus, a merger of the campus‘ Hawaiian studies and language programs that will create the largest school of indigenous studies in the nation.

"As the sole public university in our state, the University of Hawaiʻi has a special responsibility to perpetuate the history and cultural heritage of Native Hawaiians," said UH Board of Regents Chair Kitty Lagareta. "Because the Regents are entrusted with ensuring that the university meets its responsibilities, we are pleased to approve the establishment of the Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at UH Mānoa. The school will play a critical role in strengthening opportunities for students and faculty engaged in these areas of study and research, and in fostering the dissemination of Hawaiian knowledge throughout the university, the state and beyond."

The new school will consist of three units reporting to a new dean: Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, which is currently in the School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies; Kawaihuelani Hawaiian Language Program, currently in the Department of Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Languages and Literature in the College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature; and Ka Papa Loʻi o Kanewai, which is currently located administratively within the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies.

"The creation of the Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge is a major step towards promoting the study of the Hawaiian language and preserving our Islands' host culture," said UH Mānoa Interim Chancellor Denise Konan. "The Hawaiian Studies 107 course already has the largest enrollment on the Mānoa campus. Creation of the School will promote synergy among faculty and students, raise the international visibility of the program, and increase opportunities to acquire outside funding from state, federal and private sources."

Faculty staff and resources currently housed within the three units will be transferred into the new school. The units will continue to offer their courses, degree programs and services. Academic requirements for the existing degree programs — BA in Hawaiian, BA in Hawaiian Studies, MA in Hawaiian, and MA in Hawaiian Studies — will not be changed. The reorganization will be effective on July 1.

With this reorganization, the School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies will be renamed to the School of Pacific and Asian Studies, and the Department of Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Languages and Literature will be renamed to the Department of Indo-Pacific Languages and Literature.