Brent White has been appointed as the inaugural assistant provost for global engagement at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His appointment was announced at the UH Board of Regents meeting on May 18, and will be effective June 15, 2023.
As the assistant provost for global engagement and senior international officer, White will lead the strategic positioning necessary to advance UH Mānoa’s work on the international stage.
White is currently the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California, one of California’s oldest, private universities.
“We are pleased to welcome Brent to UH Mānoa to serve in this inaugural assistant provost position,” said UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno. “His executive experience and 16 years in global affairs will propel our campus global engagement agenda forward and create a strategic approach that will benefit our campus units and community through effective partnerships and collaborations with both domestic and international institutions and organizations.”
White will direct all aspects of global engagement for the campus, a critical position for UH Mānoa’s future in higher education and its financial sustainability in terms of tuition revenue, grants and stature. He will also work with UH System leaders as appropriate to increase the global connectedness and stature of both UH Mānoa and overall UH System.
“I am excited to join the UH Mānoa team and assist the UH Mānoa provost and UH president with all aspects of our global engagement, to the benefit of UH Mānoa as well as the larger UH,” he said. “This opportunity to build on our current international programs, combined with diversity, equity and inclusion approaches, will strengthen UH’s strategic position in the Pacific and Asia as a globally engaged Native Hawaiian Place of Learning.”
The Office of Global Engagement advances programs, initiatives and collaborations among organizations, nations and cultures. Global engagement offices consist of faculty and scholar immigration services, international student services, Mānoa International Exchange, National Student Exchange and the Study Abroad Center.
More about White
Previously, White was an executive and tenured professor of law at the University of Arizona (UA) for more than 16 years, including nearly nine in administrative and executive positions. He has served as vice president for global affairs, dean of global locations, vice provost of international education and CEO of Arizona Global Operations.
In these roles, White was an exceptional leader in developing and managing international programs and activities at UA. He founded and led UA’s Global Microcampus Network, where students could earn a dual degree from UA and partner universities in 13 global locations, and could access UA degrees and courses. He also served as associate dean for programs and global initiatives at the James E. Rogers College of Law, where he led the development of the nation’s first bachelor of arts in law.
White has served as the legal director in Hawaiʻi for the American Civil Liberties Union, where he fought for civil rights in the state before transitioning to academia, where his beliefs in diversity, equity and inclusion remain steadfast.
White holds an AB in public policy from Duke University and a JD from New York University School of Law.
