University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel made her first visit to a UH neighbor island facility on February 10, stopping at the UH Maui College Lānaʻi Education Center as part of her statewide tour of 10 UH campuses and six education centers in her first 90 days.
Hensel started with a tour of Lānaʻi High & Elementary School, where she met with Early College students, Principal Douglas Boyer, teachers and staff. She then visited the Lānaʻi Education Center, engaging with students and staff before attending a community meeting at the Lānaʻi Senior Center.
“She’s very kind, and it was nice to tour her around the campus,” said Sharmaine Mae Elan, student body president of Lānaʻi High & Elementary School. “We don’t usually get visitors here on Lānaʻi, but it’s nice to have that, especially since we have the dual enrollment program. It was nice to meet the person who’s really in charge of that.”
The UH Maui College Lānaʻi Education Center currently serves 84 students, including 64 Early College students from Lānaʻi High & Elementary. It features two distance-learning classrooms and a computer lab, offering live and remote instruction, academic counseling, and college and career resources.
“I’m hoping that she can hear what the students are saying—the ups and downs of being here,” said Pamela Alconcel, the center’s coordinator. “But I’m also hoping she can bring in some ideas on how we can better our education center.”
Reflecting on her visit, Hensel emphasized the impact of Early College programs. “It really brings home the importance of our Early College programs to creating excitement on the island about higher education and opportunities,” she said.
President Hensel’s campus/education centers remaining schedule:
President Hensel campus visit recaps
- Tuesday, February 11 – Honolulu CC
- Tuesday, February 18 – UH Hilo
- Monday, February 24 – Hawaiʻi CC
- Tuesday February 25 – Kō Education Center and Hawaiʻi CC Pālamanui
- Monday, March 3 – UH Maui College and Maui University Center
- Tuesday, March 4 – Molokaʻi Education Center
- Wednesday, March 5 – Kauaʻi CC and Kauaʻi University Center
- Monday, March 24 – Windward CC
For more information about President Hensel, visit the Meet President Hensel webpage. She is also active on social media and encourages the UH community to connect with her on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.
