Campus News
- Outside magazine rates UH Hilo among best
- Student animated film shown in festivals
- Vietnam MBA program graduates first class
- Community colleges funded for travel study
- Students participate in rural health projects
- WICHE exchange programs celebrated
- UH receives Shingon Buddhist calligraphy
- Libraries expand law, annexation literature
- Costume collection has historic swimwear
- Faculty art catalog receives silver medal
- Okinawan doctorates awarded to four at UH
Outside magazine rates UH Hilo among best
The University of Hawai'i at Hilo was ranked the 19th best college in North America in Outside magazine's September 2003 issue. It was one of 40 schools that "turn out smart grads with top-notch academic credentials, a healthy environmental ethos and an A+ sense of adventure."
Kelly Clarke, a UH Hilo senior majoring in communication, described the paddling, surfing, hiking and skiing on the Big Island, as well as the ethnic and cultural diversity on campus and the "giant enviro laboratory" that provides unique opportunities for study of geology, geography, astronomy and marine science.
Read more: Outside Magazine | UH Hilo Press release
topStudent animated film shown in festivals
A dozen Kapi'olani Community College new media arts students created an animated short film about mutant candies called Sugar Raid. The 7-minute digital project appeared in the 2003 Hawai'i International Film Festival and two other film showcases.
The students will spend Assistant Professor Violet Murakami's spring practicum class expanding the "Tom-and-Jerry-flavored" short, submitting it to U.S. and Japanese festivals and possibly creating a series based on the story.
topVietnam MBA program graduates first class
The University of Hawai'i at Manoa graduated the first 25 students to complete the College of Business Administration's Vietnam Executive MBA program in July 2003. Taught by CBA faculty at Vietnam National University's Hanoi School of Business, it is the first American MBA offered completely in Vietnam.
The class included Vietnamese business and public sector leaders and U.S. students interested in Vietnam. "VEMBA opened my mind to the immense possibilities of Vietnam's transformation from a planned socialist economy to a free-market model," commented graduate Greg Wong, now pursuing further graduate work at Harvard.
Read more: College of Business Vietnam Executive MBA Program | UH Press Release
topCommunity colleges funded for travel study
Kapi'olani Community College?s leadership in international education has earned it a two-year, $1.2 million Freeman Foundation grant to establish a second language learning and study abroad program for community college students system-wide.
Beginning next fall, the program will provide intensive, semester-long instruction in Japanese, Chinese or Korean languages and related culture courses followed by a semester of field study in Asia. Students will receive assistance with tuition, room and board, books and travel costs. For information, contact Instructor in Social Sciences Joseph Overton, (808)734-9832 or overton@hawaii.edu
topSummer projects support rural health
Two dozen University of Hawai'i at Manoa students in health, social work and education programs spent spring 2003 assessing community needs in rural Hawai'i communities. Then, they spent the summer on projects tailored for the communities.
Among the projects: Documentation of health problems that triggered state and federal investigations of the treatment for lead in drinking water in upcountry Maui; A shoe drive so Pahoa children wouldn't miss school field trips for lack of footwear; Data collection to allow a Hamakua clinic to participate in a national diabetes treatment project. 
The School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene coordinates the project, federally funded through 2005 by the Quentin Burdick Rural Health Community Capacity Building Program. For information, contact Jan Shoultz at (808)956-8426.
In other School of Nursing news, the Hawai'i State Center for Nursing was established to conduct research and develop strategies to address supply and demand, recruitment and retention issues, and Queen's Medical Center has committed support for 10 Native Hawaiian students to ensure culturally competent care, improve the health status of Native Hawaiians and provide role models for other young men and women.
topWICHE exchange programs celebrated
A September 2003 celebration marked the 50th anniversary of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. WICHE exchange programs allow students to enroll in curricula not available in their home states at rates below the usual non-resident tuition.
About 1,000 Hawai'i residents have earned professional degrees this way, and nearly 1,500 undergraduates from Hawai'i saved more than $9 million in tuition in 2002-03 alone. For information, call (808)956-6625. The 15-state consortium also provides data analysis on educational issues and supports other initiatives, including distance education, services for the mentally ill and effective use of technology.
Read more: WICHE homepage
topUH receives Shingon Buddhist calligraphy
The University of Hawai'i at Manoa Library received a limited edition reproduction of the complete works of famed calligrapher Kobo Daishi, founder of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism, from Japan's Kawasaki Daishi Temple in September 2003.
The collection is valued at $43,000. Shingon Buddhism is of interest to scholars because it influenced Japanese politics, art and warrior culture.
Read more: UH Press Release
topLaw, annexation literature goes digital
The Law Library Microform Consortium based at Windward Community College is now online with what may be the world's largest digital law library.
The consortium of 900 libraries in 21 countries started the collection three decades ago at Manoa's William S. Richardson School of Law. LLMC-Digital is digitizing its 92,000 volumes and 7,600 titles of legal reference. About 10 million pages are already online; another 10 million pages per year will be added. For information, call (808)235-2200.
Meanwhile, reports, debates, petitions and other documents related to the annexation of Hawai'i are available online through Hamilton Library?s Digital Archive at University of Hawai'i at Manoa. The project involved librarians, Hawaiian history scholars and volunteers led by Assistant Professor of Political Science Noenoe Silva.
Read more: Microform consortium | Annexation collection
topCostume collection has historic swimwear
The University of Hawai'i at Manoa is home to a 15,000-piece costume collection. The collection of garments, textiles and related artifacts is one of the largest in an American university and includes Asian, Hawaiian, ethnic and western wear.
The collection is used for instruction and research by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources' Apparel Product Design and Merchandising Program. Pieces are also displayed in Miller Hall; 2003 exhibits include four decades of Hawaiian swimwear and garments of the 1890s.
Read more: CTAHR Costume Collection
topArt catalog receives silver medal
A Tradition of Excellence is a 128-page catalog of works by retired University of Hawai'i at Manoa faculty artists exhibited in 2002. The book received a silver medal in Spicer Paper's 2003 national Excellence in Print competition.
The catalog was designed by graphics student Lena Mochimaru during an internship sponsored by the Watumull Grant for Museum Studies in the Arts and includes biographical information about the artists and a history of the art department. The catalog is available at the UH Art Gallery or gallery office (Art Building Room 215) for $25. For information on mail orders, call (808)956-6888.
Read more: UH Manoa Art Gallery | UH Manoa Art department
topOkinawan doctorates awarded to four at UH
Four of five Hawai'i residents recognized in September 2003 with honorary doctorates from the University of Ryukus have UH ties. UH President Evan Dobelle, Vice President for International Education Joyce Tsunoda, Secretary to the Board of Regents David Iha and former Regent Edward Kuba were honored for their roles in promoting student and faculty exchanges between Hawai'i and Okinawa.