University of Hawaii

University of Hawaiʻi System
Motto:	Ma luna aʻe o na lahui a pau ke ola ke kanaka (Hawaiian)
Motto in English:	Above all nations is humanity
Established:	1907
Type:	Public University System
Endowment:	$3 billion
President:	David McClain
Students:	50,310
Location:	Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Campus:	3 Campuses, 7 Community Colleges, 5 research centers, 3 University Centers, 4 education centers
Affiliations:	ASAIHL, Global U8 (GU8)
Website:	www.hawaii.edu

The University of Hawaiʻi, formally the University of Hawaiʻi System and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment training center, three university centers, four education centers and various other research facilities distributed across six islands throughout the state of Hawaiʻi in the United States. All schools of the University of Hawaiʻi system are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Colleges and universities

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, founded as a land grant college under the terms of the Morrill Act of 1862 for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts in the United States, is the flagship institution of the University of Hawaiʻi system. It is well-respected for its programs in Hawaiian/Pacific Studies, Astronomy, East Asian Languages and Literature, Asian Studies, Second Language Studies, Linguistics, Ethnomusicology, Medicine, and Law. The second-largest institution is the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. It teaches over 3,000 students. The smaller University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu in Pearl City primarily serves students who reside on Honolulu's western and central suburban communities. The University of Hawaiʻi Community College system comprises four campuses on Oʻahu and one each on Maui, Kauaʻi, and Hawaiʻi. The schools were created to improve accessibility of courses to more Hawaiʻi residents and provide an affordable means of easing the transition from high school to college for many students. University of Hawaiʻi education centers are located in more remote areas of the state, supporting rural communities via distance education.

Universities

• University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa
• University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
• University of Hawaiʻi-West Oahu

Community colleges

• Hawaiʻi Community College
• Honolulu Community College
• Kapiʻolani Community College
• Kauaʻi Community College
• Leeward Community College
• Maui Community College
• Windward Community College

Professional schools

• College of Pharmacy
• John A. Burns School of Medicine
• William S. Richardson School of Law

Research facilities

• Institute for Astronomy
• Lyon Arboretum
• W. M. Keck Observatory
• Mauna Kea Observatory
• Waikīkī Aquarium

University centers

• University of Hawaiʻi Center West Hawaiʻi
• University of Hawaiʻi Center Kauaʻi
• University of Hawaiʻi Center Maui

Education centers

• Molokaʻi Education Center
• Lānaʻi Education Center
• Hana Education Center
• Waiʻanae Education Center
• Lahaina Education Center

Mission

The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi system is to provide quality college and university education and training; create knowledge through research and scholarship; provide service through extension, technical assistance, and training; contribute to the cultural heritage of the community; and respond to state needs. The campuses, organized under one board, differentially emphasize instruction, research, and service. The system's special distinction is found in its Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific orientation and international leadership role. Common values bind the system together: aloha; academic freedom and intellectual vigor; institutional integrity and service; quality and opportunity; diversity, fairness, and equity; collaboration and respect; and accountability and fiscal integrity.

Statistics

In the entire University of Hawaiʻi system, there are approximately 50,317 students of which 44,122 are undergraduates. On average, the student body is 42% male and 58% female. 20% are Caucasian, 20% are Japanese, 15% are Filipino, 13% are Hawaiian or part Hawaiian and 32% are from other ethnicities. 89% of the professors reside in Hawaiʻi while 6% are from the United States mainland. A total of 616 programs are offered throughout the University of Hawaiʻi system with 123 devoted for bachelor's degrees, 92 for master's degrees, 53 for doctoral degrees, 3 for first professional degrees, 4 for post baccalaureate degrees, 115 for associate's degrees and various other certifications.

University seal

The University seal contains a torch and a book titled Malamalama (the light of knowledge) in the center of a circular map of the Pacific, surrounded by the state motto, Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻaina i ka pono ("The life of the land is perpetuated in (by) righteousness".) The University motto, inscribed in both the Hawaiian and English languages on Founders' Gate at the Mānoa campus is Ma luna aʻe o na lahui a pau ke ola o ke kanaka ("Above all nations is humanity").

Lists of distinguished University of Hawaiʻi people

• List of University of Hawaii faculty
• List of University of Hawaii alumni

Student regents

The University's governing board includes a current student appointed by the Governor of Hawaiʻi to serve a two-year term as a full voting regent. The practice of appointing a student to the Board was approved by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature in 1997.

• Mr. Michael A. Dahilig (2005-present)
• Mr. Trent K. Kakuda (2003-2005)
• Mr. Capsun M. Poe (2001-2003)
• Mr. Sat Khalsa (1999-2001)
• Mr. Wayne Panoke (1998)

Resources and further reading

• University of Hawaiʻi System
• Malamalama: A History of the University of Hawaiʻi, ISBN 0-8248-2006-1