University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel visited UH Hilo on February 18, her first visit to the campus since taking office on January 1. This was part of her systemwide tour of UH’s 10 campuses and five education centers, during which she is meeting with students, faculty and staff across the state in her first 90 days.
Hensel met with key campus governance groups, including the Hanakahi Council—a caucus of Native Hawaiian faculty and staff—along with the staff council, faculty congress and the campus executive leadership team. Discussions covered key issues such as technology adoption, staff development, transparency, student fees and expanding interdisciplinary collaboration.
“I felt that having that personal connection in a meeting and being able to ask her the essential questions for our campus is important,” said UH Hilo Professor Celia Bardwell-Jones after Hensel’s meeting with the faculty congress. “That demonstrates good shared governance practices for the system. I felt her answers were thoughtful—I was pleasantly surprised.”
UH Hilo Student Body President Chelbi Espiritu shared a similar sentiment, stating, “I think she was very open to listening and hearing us out.”
Campus open forum
More than 80 people attended a campus open forum, where Hensel addressed questions on issues including the impact of recent Executive Orders, the role of the UH System in supporting individual campuses and what it means to be a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning.
“I think it has been incredibly engaging and thoughtful,” Hensel said. “The questions were challenging and important, and we had a really good conversation about what matters to the people on this campus. That’s important. We don’t have all the answers, but we should be able to discuss the questions and how we come together as a community. I was really impressed with the level of engagement.”
Traditional welcome, Maunakea visit
The visit began in the morning with a kīpaepae at Hawaiʻi Community College to welcome Hensel to Hilo. The welcoming ceremony, conducted primarily in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, included an ʻawa ceremony, hula and an underlying message of unity.
During her time on Hawaiʻi Island, Hensel visited the summit of Maunakea on February 17, where she met with representatives from the UH Institute for Astronomy and the UH Hilo Center for Maunakea Stewardship (CMS), including the Maunakea Rangers.
“The staff was very appreciative that she took the time to visit and understand how the Center for Maunakea Stewardship and the Institute for Astronomy work together,” said UH Hilo CMS Executive Director Greg Chun. “This is a very unique research enterprise that takes extensive collaboration for the groundbreaking science and commitment to stewardship to work together.”
On February 19, she visited Ke Kula O Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, the largest Hawaiian immersion school on Hawaiʻi Island serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade. That evening, she attended a reception for donors and alumni at the Hilo Yacht Club.
Hensel’s visit concluded on February 20, when she attended the monthly UH Board of Regents meeting at the UH Hilo Daniel K. Inouye School of Pharmacy.
President Hensel’s campus/education centers remaining schedule:
President Hensel campus visit recaps
- 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.
