Derek Snyder

Derek Snyder is a very familiar face around our campus. He’s been teaching here for 20 years, most of those in the English Department. He’s taught a full gamut of courses ranging from Introductory Composition to Research Writing. And he is as skilled at all modalities of distance learning as he is at teaching “in person.” As a matter of fact, he is recognized as a thought leader in distance education.

Besides being a faculty member — most recently a full professor — Snyder has served our college as a Student Services Specialist, a short-term Program Coordinator for the Maui Language Institute, a non-credit instructor in the Office of Continuing Education and Training (OCET), and a lecturer for both UH Maui College and the University of Hawaiʻi Center, Maui.

“This variety of work experience within our campus community provides me with a deep appreciation and understanding of the important work that our entire campus team performs every day to assist us in achieving our mission to our students and communities,” Snyder says.

Believe it or not, that’s not all. Go below the surface and you will find an academic leader — he has held many different leadership positions at UHMC and the wider UH community — and a community volunteer. “I coached youth sports for years, served on the Board of Directors of Hui Malama Learning Center, and now serve on the Board of Directors of Mana’o Radio,” says Snyder.

Look deeper still and you will find a lifelong learner who credits his 97-year-old grandmother with teaching him two of life’s most important lessons. “She told me, 1. Everyone knows something you do not.’ and 2. ‘True happiness in life comes through helping others,'” says Snyder.

All of the above made Snyder the perfect candidate to fill the position of our new Dean of Arts and Sciences. There’s also his passion for a field of study that is often maligned these days – Liberal Arts which include all the Arts & Sciences.

“The disciplines in the Arts & Sciences are wonderfully varied at UH Maui College, in the areas of Humanities, STEM, Language Arts, and Social Science,” says Snyder. “The true superpowers of Arts and Sciences programs are that they prepare students to enter the workforce while also preparing them to help positively transform the workforce in creative and innovative ways. Arts and Sciences graduates are equipped to become curious, thoughtful, reflective, empathic, and empirical leaders in their fields and, by extension, in their communities.

“At the heart of the mission of higher education is to help students become change agents in their communities — high-level problem solvers and critical thinkers. At UH Maui College, it can be said that we are preparing students for jobs that may not even exist yet. In a rapidly and ever-changing world, graduates in the Arts and Sciences possess skills and strategies to process complex information that can allow them to best adapt to constantly changing work environments and technological innovations,” Snyder explains.

“What students learn in the Arts and Sciences builds a well-versed foundation for navigating any work environment and prepares students to be leaders in an incredible variety of careers. To name only a few career pathways, students in the Arts and Sciences become the doctors who care for us, the teachers who inspire us, the social workers and first responders who save us, and the scientists who help us best understand the world around us. In every possible way, the Arts and Sciences serves students powerfully in their career endeavors,” says Snyder.

With his strong teaching expertise, deep understanding of pedagogy, proven leadership skills, and deep passion for higher education, I am confident that Dean Snyder will be a tremendous asset to our leadership team and will help us further strengthen the quality of education and support we provide to Maui Nui.

For complete information about UH Maui College, please visit http://maui.hawaii.edu/

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