The Ānuenue Connection Program is looking for faculty and staff volunteers to serve as a point of contact and informal support network for incoming students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
At the end of every academic year, nearly 30% of first-year students do not return for their second year at UH Mānoa. The Ānuenue Connection Program, formerly known as the Hānai Host Program, aims to increase the number of returning students by fostering the feelings of support and connection to the university ʻohana, as the first few weeks or months can be instrumental in retaining students for their entire collegiate education.
The program is designed to support students who are:
- from the U.S. continent who are far from home;
- from the neighbor islands who may not be able to travel home easily and may be living on Oʻahu for the first time; and
- from Oʻahu who may find living at UH Mānoa to be a departure from their home environment.
By volunteering for the program, the faculty or staff member would be committing to:
- Calling, texting or writing to the student(s) they are paired with, in advance of their arrival on campus.
- Attending a one-hour mentor orientation in mid-August (via zoom or in-person, as conditions allow).
- Meeting with the student(s) in the week before classes.
- Meeting with the student(s) through program planned events.
- Touching base at key points in the semester, such as midterms, finals and major holidays.
Meetings with the student(s) should be informal—for coffee or perhaps a cultural event or outing. Some events or outings may be coordinated by the Ānuenue Connection Program to bring student participants and volunteers together. Overall, the student participant and faculty/staff volunteer would determine the appropriate time commitment that works for them throughout the program.
UH Mānoa faculty or staff members willing to play a role in serving as a connection for one or more students in the Ānuenue Connection Program, can RSVP by Friday, July 23, 2021.
This effort is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of Enhancing Student Success (PDF), one of four goals identified in the 2015–25 Strategic Plan (PDF), updated in December 2020.
