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A new year, a turning point, a time of change A new year, a turning point, a time of change

First, I’d like to express my deepest appreciation to everyone who has welcomed me to my new

role as chancellor at University of Hawaii Maui College. I am grateful for your support, and I invite you to join me and my colleagues in continuing the work to create a college we are all proud of.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve also enjoyed getting to know my colleagues better. Recently we hosted an event, Huliau, which was very well attended by faculty and staff. Huliau means a turning point or time of change, which reflects the change in leadership at the college. Huliau also means to recall the past, symbolizing that we learn from the past in order to make good decisions in the present. Over the next 100 days I will emphasize this theme of huliau in all our actions, big and small, and I’d like to share with my Maui County ‘ohana some of the important things on the horizon in the near term.

First and foremost is completing the college’s strategic plan, which will lay the foundation of our focus for the next five years. Currently that plan has five thematic areas: Community needs/workforce development, quality of learning, Hawai’i Papa O Ke Ao (indigenous education), sustainability and student success. Under the leadership of faculty members Elaine Yamashita and Laura Lees, committees have been working diligently to complete the plan, and we will be inviting the community to participate in its vetting before we launch the initiatives.

Second, we are focusing on how to create a student-centered learning environment at the college.

Part of this will be accomplished by encouraging professional development, which will improve pedagogy, assessment and morale.

I’m asking my colleagues to support the development of a comprehensive student support model that we all have a stake in, coordinating our efforts for greater efficiency toward student success.

Third, we will continue to develop campus resources, which includes accessing where we are, how resources are being used, and whether there’s a better way to align them.

We also need to increase our enrollment, not only by recruiting more students, but also by retaining the ones we currently have and making sure they’re on track for their degree and career goals.

I will continue building bridges with our government officials, and will work closely with the UH foundation to develop strategies to increase philanthropic support for Maui College.

We are all truly grateful for the good work of Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto. He helped secure more than $147 million in extramural funds for UH-Maui College, and in 2013 alone, under his leadership the college was awarded over $20 million in extramural funds. He obtained and administered grants related to telecommunications infrastructure, gender equity, Hawaiian education and sustainable technologies. Both the campus and enrollment grew significantly under his tenure, and he was recently recognized by the UH Community College system as one of the “50 Finest.”

He is definitely a tough act to follow, but to me continuing Dr. Sakamoto’s vision means solidifying it so it can live on for many more generations. This will take time and discipline, and I look forward to this challenge.

I was recently asked during an interview, “Why is being chancellor at UH-Maui College your dream job?” It struck me that my dream job is to help students get their dream jobs. Earning a college degree helps open doors to better jobs and advancement opportunities, something I know because that’s been my personal story.

My father encouraged and supported his children to pursue higher education because it was not available to him. I wasn’t the best student in school and there were times when it was hard for me to see the value of all the hard work college required. But I enjoyed learning, the extracurricular activities that came with the program, and found student support services that helped me not only get my bachelor’s degree in political science from UH-Hilo, but also my master’s degree in communications from UH-Manoa and doctorate of education degree from the University of Southern California.

Without reaching my academic goals, I wouldn’t have had the same career opportunities, and I wouldn’t be the chancellor.

It is an awesome responsibility to be the head of Maui County’s only public higher education institution, and it is the love for my home that will help me through the challenges that I expect to face. I ask for your continued support, and together we can bring to fruition the seeds planted by those who came before us.

* Lui K. Hokoana is chancellor of the University of Hawaii Maui College. Ka’ana Mana’o, which means “sharing thoughts,” is scheduled to appear on the fourth Sunday of each month. It is prepared with assistance from UH-Maui College staff and is intended to provide the community of Maui County information about opportunities available through the college at its Kahului campus and its education centers.

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