Kauaʻi Community College has been awarded more than $4.3 million from the U.S. Department of Education to establish a groundbreaking Transfer Center, the first of its kind within the University of Hawaiʻi system. The center will offer comprehensive support services for students transferring from Kauaʻi CC to four-year programs at UH Mānoa, UH Hilo and UH West Oʻahu, while also expanding program offerings and transfer pathways.
The Transfer Center aims to streamline transfer processes, especially for students pursuing degrees in pre-med, information technology and secondary education. It will feature on-site counselors from three of UH‘s four-year campuses to provide personalized academic and career guidance. The Title III funding for the grant called Ka Pilina supports Native Hawaiian serving institutions.
“Ka Pilina will address gaps in higher education access and transfer support, particularly for Native Hawaiian learners who want to pursue careers while staying rooted in their communities,” said Valerie Barko, Kauaʻi CC director of institutional effectiveness.
Wrap-around support
In addition to transfer services, the center will offer wrap-around support including mental health, academic assistance, emergency aid, and personalized CARES (Coordinated Access Resource Entry System) plans to help students overcome barriers and successfully complete their degree pathways.
This collaboration extends to other UH campuses, with Leeward CC offering its associate of science in teaching program in person at Kauaʻi CC, and UH Hilo and UH Mānoa supporting pathways into their secondary education programs.
“I am excited to strengthen our partnership with Kauaʻi CC and to provide smooth pathways for Kauaʻi students who wish to transfer to UH Hilo and benefit from our hands-on, place-based academic programs,” UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin said.
Barko said the transfer center model has been a vision of the three University Centers (Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi) and she hopes the Kauaʻi CC Transfer Center will serve as a model for the UH System.
