The ongoing budget planning process at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for a post-pandemic Hawaiʻi was the main focus of a live online forum with UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno on Thursday, October 29. More than 900 people watched the two-hour forum held on the UH Mānoa YouTube channel that can now be viewed in its entirety. Bruno responded to more than two dozen questions and explained how UH Mānoa is preparing for the COVID-19 generated fiscal crisis that is projected to last into 2024.
“Like most universities, we are facing budget cuts of a magnitude we’ve never seen before,” said Bruno in his opening statement. “Yet, as we close out the tenth week of instruction, our students and our faculty and staff are staying well; learning and working in all areas of our mission to Hawaiʻi. Your collective effort towards ensuring that this work continues strongly in the midst of a pandemic gives me confidence that we can also rise to the occasion and overcome the looming financial challenges.”
The campus community is encouraged to visit the UH Mānoa website to learn more on the budget planning process. The regularly updated information includes an explanation of the process and timeline, updated suggestions to each unit, unit responses, economic and institutional context and the program, organizational and performance data for the campus.
“I am mindful that this conversation is being conducted in the context of change and uncertainty at the national and state levels,” said Bruno. “But I am confident that we have set a course that will allow us to navigate this storm and emerge a stronger, more resilient and more relevant university to and for Hawaiʻi.”
This is the second livestream forum by Bruno. The first was held on July 2, 2020.
