Maui Community College announces new vice chancellor of academic affairs

Maui College
Contact:
Katie McMillan, (808) 984-3549
Marketing and Community Relations
Posted: Aug 21, 2007


KAHULUI, Maui, Hawaiʻi — After an extensive nationwide search, Suzette Robinson has been named Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at Maui Community College. Robinson was born and raised on Maui and is the daughter of Ruth and Kosuke Yoshioka. She is a graduate of Baldwin High School, Maui CC, and UH Manoa College of Education, where she received her bachelor‘s and master‘s degrees. She has been employed at Maui CC for 29 years, beginning in 1978 as an educational specialist in the learning center.

In 1988, she became director of the center, overseeing its transition from an English tutorial center to a multi-discipline academic support program. In 1990, she was appointed to a full-time teaching position in the English department, where she also served in a number of campus leadership positions.

In 2000, while serving as Acting Dean of Instruction, Robinson was responsible for the creation of the Maui CC Strategic Plan 2003-2010, a document that has guided the college in the ensuing years. In 2006, Robinson assumed the role of Interim Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs (formerly the Dean of Instruction position).

In a recent message to the college announcing Robinson‘s selection as Vice Chancellor, Maui CC Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto said, "In all of her acting and interim roles and as APT, faculty member, and administrator, she has exhibited a dedication to student learning, a commitment to the college and community, a capacity to assume larger responsibilities, and a level of unquestioned integrity. She has consistently performed on behalf of continuous professional and institutional improvement, program review and development, and faculty and staff development, displaying a collegial and constructive approach to addressing our challenges."

At a 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award Dinner, Robinson was honored by the UH-Maui Community College Alumni Association as a "Guiding Star," one who had utilized her education to excel in her professional field, provided inspirational leadership, and developed other unique talents. According to the association‘s definition, "Guiding Stars" are the personification of Hoku hoʻokele waʻa, the canoe guiding star Sirius, and are shining examples for others to emulate. The many students and colleagues whose lives Robinson has touched in the last 29 years would agree with that definition.

For more information, visit: http://www.maui.hawaii.edu