MEMORIAL RESOLUTION HONORING DR. JOHN CASKEN
We, the Faculty Senate of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, wish on this day, November 20, 2024, to celebrate and honor the life and professional service of Dr. John Casken at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Dr. John Casken, Chair and Associate Specialist of Nursing and former Director of International Health at the Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing (NAWSON), made numerous distinguished contributions to higher education and the larger community in Hawai`i. He was also the former Chair of the Council on Study Abroad, former Chair of the Mānoa Faculty Senate, Board Member of the University of Hawai`i Professional Assembly, and a Faculty Representative. Additionally, he was a Board member of the Hawai`i Health and Harm Reduction Center (H3RC) and its past president.
Prior to his appointment to the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, he was a faculty member in the UHM School of Public Health, where he taught classes, headed the UHM Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP), and recruited Native Hawaiians, American Indians and Alaska Natives to its Master of Public Health Program. Dr. Casken was a respected faculty within the UH Manoa Department of Nursing. He was especially esteemed by his graduate nursing students, who he inspired to identify ways that nurses can serve as leaders in improving community health by influencing health policy and addressing health and social needs.
John’s commitment to the success of his students was legendary. He was an outstanding student advocate who supported his students so they would maximize their potential, serving as chair and advisor on many masters and doctoral dissertation committees. He was an excellent teacher and received the UH Regents Medal for Excellence in Teaching in 2000. He worked tirelessly on rural/community health issues to help improve Native Hawaiian health. He was instrumental in launching the Dublin Health Sciences Study Abroad Program at University College Dublin, Ireland, for Nursing and Public Health undergraduate students.
Dr. Casken also served as a mentor and friend to colleagues, supporting their professional development and well-being with encouragement, insight, kindness, and wit. John was a long-term member of the Mānoa Faculty Senate who contributed in multiple roles over his many decades of service.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mānoa Faculty Senate wishes to honor our friend, mentor and colleague, Dr. John Casken, for his service and dedication to the UH-Mānoa community in recognition of this profound loss with his passing on October 27, 2024 at 84 years of age;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we acknowledge with gratitude his model of innovative service to an international health community; generous mentorship, collegiality, and dedication to make this a better place for humanity; his clinical work in cross-cultural care and alleviation of health disparities; his dedication and determination to further higher education and clinical practice in the United States and in the international arena;
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that in recognition of his many professional accomplishments and service, the UHM faculty Senate expresses our enduring gratitude and honors his relentless commitment to student and faculty success.
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